Indoor Football Alliance

Indoor Football Alliance
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2016 Indoor Football Alliance season
Sport Indoor football
Founded 2015
Founder Barbara Spigner (SIF)
Jim O'Brien (CIFL)
Inaugural season 2016
CEO Barbara Spigner
Country United States
Related competitions Continental Indoor Football League
American Indoor Football
X-League Indoor Football
Indoor Football League
Champions Indoor Football
Official website IndoorFootballAlliance.com

The Indoor Football Alliance (IFA) was a proposed association of indoor football leagues. The alliance was to feature two small leagues, a revived Continental Indoor Football League (a league that played from 2006 to 2014) and a newly formed league named Supreme Indoor Football (SIF). Most of the teams that were to take part in the alliance either existed only on paper, joined other leagues or suspended operations prior to the alliance's planned launch in spring 2016.

History

The IFA's history began with two of its future teams having problems with the X-League. On May 31, 2015, the Cape Fear Heroes announced that they would be leaving the X-League entirely and operating independently the rest of the season while searching for a new league in 2016.[1] In the wake of such recent events, the Marion Blue Racers would follow suit in announcing their departure from the X-League.

On August 23, 2015, the Indoor Football Alliance of the new SIF (owned by Heroes owner Barbara Spigner) and the returning CIFL (owned by Saginaw Sting owner Jim O'Brien) was announced. The Heroes were the SIF's first team, while the Blue Racers, Sting and the Erie Explosion all announced their intentions on returning to the CIFL.[2] On November 4, 2015, the Saginaw Sting returned to American Indoor Football (AIF), leaving the IFA; the Blue Racers followed shortly after. With the departures of the Sting and Blue Racers, the Explosion were the lone CIFL representative in the Alliance. On the same day, the Heroes (still at that point alone as members of their league) held a press conference holding firm to their plans on launching Supreme Indoor Football, with a target of eight teams for its inaugural 2016 season.[3] On December 4, 2015, the Kentucky Knights joined the SIF.[4]

The Heroes released their 2016 schedule on December 9, 2015; it included games against the Explosion, Knights, a team known as the "Maryland Big Red," Buffalo Lightning and Atlanta Sharks, the last two of which also jumped from AIF. The Lightning confirmed their participation in the Alliance on December 15.[5] On January 18, 2016, the Explosion announced they would not participate in a 2016 season[6] reducing alliance participants to three (Buffalo Lightning, Cape Fear Heroes, and Kentucky Knights).

On January 30, 2016, Supreme Indoor Football held a draft that included five teams, the previously mentioned three plus the ASI Panthers (formerly of AIF) and a team called "Western Pennsylvania" (presumably a replacement for the Explosion).[7] Shortly thereafter, the Heroes released a revised schedule, removing the Atlanta Sharks and adding an unnamed team from Lockport, New York (taking the place of one of the Explosion's home games, an away game was still listed as being against the Explosion)[8] and the IFA website added several previously unannounced teams (Cincinnati Bulldogs, Cleveland Saints, River City Raptors, and Steel City Patriots). However, on March 3, 2016, league commissioner Barbara Spigner announced that the Cape Fear Heroes would sit out the 2016 season due to a number of factors, among them being financial support.[9] Of the various teams that have any sort of public presence, only the Buffalo Lightning have made any statements since February 2016 regarding their intention to play in 2016; their first game will be against the Cincinnati Bulldogs on April 30.

Teams

Team Location Arena Capacity Founded Joined
Supreme Indoor Football
ASI Panthers Reading, Pennsylvania Santander Arena 7,160 2014 2016
Buffalo Lightning Irving, New York Cattaraugus Community Center 1,000 2014 2016
Cape Fear Heroes Fayetteville, North Carolina Cumberland County Crown Coliseum 8,920 2012 2016
Kentucky Knights Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro Sportscenter 5,000 2015 2016
Western Pennsylvania SIF team Western Pennsylvania 2016 2016

References

  1. ↑ Sammy Batten (May 30, 2015). "Cape Fear Heroes leaving X-League". www.fayobserver.com. Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Supreme Indoor Football and Continental Indoor Football League Join Forces". OurSportsCentral. August 23, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  3. ↑ http://www.fayobserver.com/sports/cape-fear-heroes-create-own-arena-football-league-for/article_2b8366a5-66a7-5b29-b6ed-72a9dacdfa5f.html?mode=jqm
  4. ↑ "Kentucky Knights Join Supreme Indoor Football". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. December 4, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Buffalo Lightning Bolts into Supreme Indoor Football". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Erie Explosion Suspend 2016 Football Operations". Our Sports Central. January 18, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Supreme Indoor Football Draft USA College Football All-Americans". IFA. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  8. ↑ http://www.capefearheroes.com/schedule/
  9. ↑ "Cape Fear Heroes to Sit out 2016 Season". OurSportsCentral. March 3, 2016.

External links

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