American Indoor Football

American Indoor Football
Most recent season or competition:
2016 American Indoor Football season

American Indoor Football logo
Formerly Atlantic Indoor Football League (2005)
American Indoor Football League (2006)
American Indoor Football Association (2007–10)
Sport Indoor football
Founded 2005
Inaugural season 2005
Ceased 2016
Owner(s) John Morris
President Larry Clark
Motto Fast Paced Family Fun
No. of teams 16
Country United States
Last
champion(s)		 Columbus Lions (1st AIF title)
Most titles Baltimore Mariners (2 titles)
Sponsor(s) Baden
EyeBlack.com
Source One Digital
College Football USA
Level 10
Related
competitions		 Champions Indoor Football
Indoor Football League
Official website AIFprofootball.com

American Indoor Football (AIF) was a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America.

The AIFL began as a regional league with six franchises on the East Coast of the United States in 2005; after a rapid, and largely failed, expansion effort in 2006, most of the league's remaining teams jumped to the new AIFA (the rest joined the short-lived WIFL). The AIFA expanded throughout existing territory and, in 2008, expanded into the Western United States. The league legally divided into two entities to allow for a partial merger with the Southern Indoor Football League, which resulted in all of its Eastern teams merging into the SIFL and the AIFA only maintaining its western teams. The league's western component, which remained separate of the merger, had indicated it would play as the AIFA West for the 2011 season but ceased operations January 2011. The league announced it would be relaunching as American Indoor Football in time for spring 2012. After the 2016 season, the AIF ceased operations with the former AIF owner stating his support for the recently created Arena Developmental League.

The last market with a direct connection to the original AIFL was Erie, Pennsylvania. Erie's team, the Explosion, joined other regional leagues when the SIFL disbanded after the 2011 season.

History

The league has its roots in the Atlantic Indoor Football League, which began play in 2005 under the leadership of Andrew Haines.[1] The first team to join the AIFL was the Johnstown RiverHawks.[2] The league began with six teams, all of them based in the eastern United States. Two teams played all of their games on the road,[3] and the regular season was cut short two weeks because of teams being unable to secure venues for playoff games. In the 2005–06 offseason, the league changed its name to the American Indoor Football League, while nine expansion teams entered the league and a tenth (the Rome Renegades) joined from the National Indoor Football League.

The 2006 season was marred by the folding of two teams, and the league used semi-pro teams to fill scheduling vacancies. The league was briefly acquired by Greens Worldwide, Inc., the owners of the amateur North American Football League, during the 2006 season, but they terminated the contract soon afterwards. Nine teams left the league after the season, including four who split off to create the short-lived World Indoor Football League. On October 2, 2006, a massive reorganization took place as Morris and Michael Mink set up a new league, which absorbed all of the remaining AIFL franchises, and Haines was ousted. (Haines would go on to create the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League in 2007, before similar stability problems led to the forced divestiture of that league as well. Haines would, in April 2010, announce he was relaunching his league as the Ultimate Indoor Football League beginning in 2011 and revived two defunct former AIFL teams.) The league took on the American Indoor Football Association name at the same time.

The 2007 season was relatively successful for the league, as all 112 scheduled games were played and no teams folded mid-season, a major improvement over the past two seasons (when the AIFA was known as the AIFL). The AIFA Championship Bowl I was a neutral site game held in Florence, South Carolina. In addition, the league held its first All-Star Game the same weekend, also in Florence. League owners stated that the neutral site was chosen so that both games could be televised to obtain nationwide exposure for the league.

The league then expanded nationwide; some individual teams were able to acquire several players with NFL experience, a sign that the league had achieved a level on par with leagues such as af2. The league earned a major television contract as well: On September 17, 2007, The American Indoor Football Association owners John Morris and Michael Min announced that the league signed a three-year national television broadcast, mobile phone broadcast, and webcast licensing agreement with Simply 4Me Incorporated (d.b.a. SimplyMe TV).[4] However, that deal was subsequently cancelled. Later in the season, FSN Pittsburgh agreed to pick up the remaining games; Erie, Pennsylvania-based Image Sports Network was also involved with the league.

Eight teams participating in the league in 2007 did not return for the 2008 season, including the 2007 champion Lakeland Thunderbolts. The AIFA became the third league since 2004 (excluding the folded WIFL and NIFL before its folding) to lose its standing champion (the 2004 NIFL champion Lexington Horsemen left to join the newly created UIF and later were in af2, and the 2006 champion Billings Outlaws also left to join two years later). However, nine teams signed on to begin play in 2008, and the league created a Western Conference. In 2007, the team farthest west was based in Mississippi; in 2008, the team farthest west was based in Arizona. Three of the four teams who had won the league championship to that point were no longer active league members.

The 2009 season culminated in AIFA Championship Bowl III, hosted by the Western Conference champion Wyoming Cavalry on July 25, 2009. The game, played before 6,500 fans at the Casper Events Center, saw the Reading Express defeat the Wyoming Cavalry for their first title, 65–42.

As the 2010 season approached, AIFA continued to expand its nationwide footprint. Expansion franchises had been added in Richmond, Virginia; Yakima, Washington; Wasilla, Alaska (believed to be the smallest city in America to host a national professional football franchise) and Wenatchee, Washington. The moves gave the AIFA a much more significant presence on the West Coast of the United States. To accommodate this, and to keep travel expenses down, for the 2010 season the AIFA adopted a scheduling system that effectively treated the Eastern and Western conferences as separate leagues, with no regular-season crossover between the two conferences. The league also secured a television contract with AMGTV, which was to syndicate a "Game of the Week" package to regional sports networks and its network of low-powered broadcast stations.

In 2010, the Baltimore Mariners completed the league's first-ever perfect season by winning all fourteen regular season games and winning AIFA Championship Bowl IV.[5]

Split, partial merger with the SIFL and first cessation of operations

The AIFA arranged a split and partial merger with the Southern Indoor Football League after the 2010 season. As part of the deal, Morris would acquire the rights to the Eastern Conference teams and merge them into the SIFL,[6] while Mink would retain the western conference teams, rights to the AIFA name, and television contract, the last of which was extended through 2013.

The AIFA West originally announced that it would begin its season with four teams, beginning in March 2011, after the Tucson Thunder Kats announced it would be suspending operations until 2012. As of January 2011, no schedule had been released, and the league informed the remaining three teams that there would not be a fourth team representing Eugene, Oregon as the league had earlier promised. The league attempted to work out a schedule with the remaining three teams, but the Reno Barons and Stockton Wolves were unwilling to go forward with such a schedule and broke from the league. Both teams operated as the two-team "Western Indoor Football Association" in 2011, each playing whatever semi-pro teams were willing to face them in addition to each other. With only the Yakima Valley Warriors left, the AIFA ceased operations; it said that it would attempt to relaunch in 2012 with eight to 12 teams in at least two regions of the United States.

As of June 2011, Morris had released a statement indicating he still represented the AIFA when he purchased the assets of the Fayetteville Force.[6]

Relaunch and folding

Triangle Torch (black jerseys with and red and yellow accents) vs. Lehigh Valley Steelhawks (gold jerseys with black accents) during a game at Dorton Arena, March 25, 2016

On October 27, 2011, the AIFA announced it was relaunching as American Indoor Football (AIF). The move came in light of the dissolution of the SIFL and its breakup into the Professional Indoor Football League and the Lone Star Football League. AIF announced its intentions to absorb the three remaining SIFL teams not in either the PIFL or LSFL (the Harrisburg Stampede, Trenton Steel and Carolina Speed), as well as the remaining teams that would have participated in the AIFA West. AIF intended to launch an amateur division as well.[7]

In 2015, the league absorbed the remains of the Continental Indoor Football League, picking up the Saginaw Sting and Chicago Blitz from that league; the CIFL Web site became a redirect to AIF's. (The two other surviving teams from that league chose to play in other leagues: Erie decided to join the PIFL, while the Marion Blue Racers fulfilled an earlier promise to join the X-League). In homage to the CIFL, AIF split into two conferences, one bearing the American name and the other (which includes both CIFL refugees) named the Continental Conference. The conference names were changed to Northern and Southern for the 2016 season.

The 2016 season saw the league grow from nine teams to a total of 28 announced teams. However, only 21 teams ever played a league game that season, including four teams that folded midseason and several other teams cancelling scheduled games. The Columbus Lions, which joined for 2016, would finish the season undefeated and win the championship. The Lions then announced that they were leaving the league due the league's instability, especially in the Southern Division where the Lions were the only team that did not have a cancelled or rescheduled game. On July 7, 2016, the Lions' owners announced the formation of a new league, the Arena Developmental League.[8] On July 13, the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks also announced they were leaving the AIF.

In response, AIF owner Jim Morris announced on July 18, 2016, that the AIF was ceasing operations immediately. He also announced his support of the new Arena Developmental League (which later changed its name to National Arena League before its inaugural season) and hoped the new league would take on many of the former AIF teams.[9]

The Buffalo Blitz (formerly the Buffalo Lightning) used the official AIF football in their press announcement upon joining the Can-Am Indoor Football League, which was created by announced AIF 2017 expansion team Vermont Bucks.[10] The Can-Am also used the AIF footballs in games during their only season.

Basic rule differences

The AIFA's red, white, and blue football

Two rule changes appeared to be inspired by Canadian football rules:

Teams when league folded

Team City/Area Arena Founded Joined Head Coach
Northern
Central Penn Capitals Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Penn Farm Show Complex & Expo Center 2012 2013 Andre Coles
Maryland Eagles Silver Spring, Maryland Wheaton Sports Pavilion 2012 2013 Matthew Steeple
Northern Kentucky Nightmare Highland Heights, Kentucky none 2016 Mike Goodpaster
River City Raiders St. Charles, Missouri Family Arena 2012 2016 Corey Bethany
Triangle Torch Raleigh, North Carolina Dorton Arena 2015 2016 Vacant
West Michigan Ironmen Muskegon, Michigan L. C. Walker Arena 2015 2016 Tyrese Lynk
Winston Wildcats Winston-Salem, North Carolina LJVM Coliseum Annex 2015 2016 Barry Marrow
Southern
Central Florida Jaguars Lakeland, Florida Lakeland Center 2015 2016 Ronnie Ghent
Florida Tarpons Estero, Florida Germain Arena 2011 2016 Michael Taylor
Georgia Firebirds Albany, Georgia Albany Civic Center 2009 2016 Antwone Savage
Myrtle Beach Freedom Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Myrtle Beach Convention Center 2015 2016 Terry Foster
New Mexico Stars Rio Rancho, New Mexico Santa Ana Star Center 2011 2016 John Fourcade
Savannah Steam Savannah, Georgia Savannah Civic Center[11] 2014 2015 Bobby Dammarell
Affiliated Team
South Carolina Ravens Charleston, South Carolina none 2016 Terrance Quattlebaum
Announced 2017 Expansion
High Country Grizzlies Boone, North Carolina George M. Holmes Convocation Center 2017 Josh Resignalo
Vermont Bucks Burlington, Vermont Gutterson Fieldhouse 2017 Ervin Bryson

Italics indicate travel only team (including the Maryland Eagles who also have home games with another league)

Map of teams

S. Carolina
AIF team locations at the time of operations ceasing. (Northern teams in blue and Southern teams in red)

Former teams

Defunct franchises

Former AIFL/AIFA/AIF teams that left and were still active

Substitute

Championship games

Year Winner Score Loser
2005 Richmond Bandits[19] 56–30 Erie Freeze
2006 Canton Legends 54–49 Rome Renegades
2007 Lakeland Thunderbolts 54–49 Reading Express
2008 Florence Phantoms 48–12 Wyoming Cavalry
2009 Reading Express 65–42 Wyoming Cavalry
2010 Baltimore Mariners[20] 57–42 Wyoming Cavalry
2012 Cape Fear Heroes[21] 79–27 California Eagles
2013 Harrisburg Stampede[22] 52–37 Cape Fear Heroes
2014 Baltimore Mariners[23] 45–44 Cape Fear Heroes
2015 York Capitals[24] 58–30 Chicago Blitz
2016 Columbus Lions[25] 74–32 West Michigan Ironmen

See also

References

  1. ↑ "AIFL Adds NFL Names and Faces". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. September 9, 2004. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  2. ↑ "AIFL Announces First Team". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. October 4, 2004. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Carolina Sharks Suspended For 2005 AIFL; Ghostriders To Fill Void". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. April 15, 2005. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  4. ↑ http://www.simplyme.tv
  5. ↑ "Baltimore Mariners Grab League's Top Honors". oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. October 5, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  6. 1 2 Sammy Batten. "American Indoor Football league meeting reveals regional focus". www.fayobserver.com. The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  7. ↑ AIFAProFootball.com. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  8. ↑ Lions owner Seda establishes new Arena Developmental League, Dana Barker, Columbus Ledger-Inquirer, July 7, 2016
  9. ↑ "American Indoor Football League Ceases Operations". OurSports Central. July 18, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Can-Am indoor football coming to Buffalo". WGRZ. January 25, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-08-22.
  12. ↑ "D.C. Armor considers leaving D.C.". Washington Business Journal. November 10, 2009. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  13. ↑ "D.C. Team goes in deep Freeze". goerie.com. October 9, 2007. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  14. ↑ "AIFA Fayetteville Guard Open Team Tryouts". bleacherreport.com. October 6, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  15. ↑ "No Show Huntington Heroes". goerie.com. October 9, 2007. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Reading Express shuts down for 2013 season". Reading Eagle. June 6, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Jags announce membership in EIFC". Elite Indoor Football Conference. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  18. ↑ http://canamifl.com/
  19. ↑ "Bandits crowned inaugural AIFL champions; Win 56-30 over Freeze". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. July 17, 2005. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  20. ↑ "AIFA Bowl IV: Wyoming Cavalry @ Baltimore Mariners". Youtube. July 28, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Heroes win AIF championship to complete perfect 9-0 season". fayobserver.com. June 17, 2012. Archived from the original on June 19, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Harrisburg Stampede and York Capitals – Winner Plays in AIF". Our Sports Cental. May 29, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  23. ↑ Junious Smith III (June 14, 2014). "Cape Fear Heroes lose AIF title game to Baltimore Mariners, 45-44". www.fayobserver.com. Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  24. ↑ Eric Thomas (June 6, 2015). "Watson's defense spurs York Capitals to AIF championship vs. Chicago Blitz". www.ydr.com. The York Daily Record. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  25. ↑ Dana Barker (June 19, 2016). "Lions capture AIF title in bizarre, blowout fashion". www.ledger-enquirer.com. Ledger-Enquirer. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
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