The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional

indoor American football Indoor American football, or arena football, is a variation of gridiron football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas. While varying in details from league to league, the rules of indoor football are designed to allow for play in a smaller ...

league created in 2008 out of the merger between the

Intense Football League The Intense Football League (IFL) was a professional indoor football minor league that began operations in 2004. Its focus was in Texas, but it was notable for being the first professional football league to place a franchise in Alaska. History ...

and

United Indoor Football United Indoor Football (UIF) was an indoor football league in the United States that operated from 2005 to 2008. Ten owners from the National Indoor Football League, including one expansion (the Dayton Warbirds, which never played a game in UIF) ...

. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams among indoor football leagues. The league has operated continuously under the same name and corporate structure longer than any other current indoor football league. With the closure of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

in 2019, the IFL is the oldest active professional indoor football league in North America. As of 2022 season, the league consists of 14 teams in two conferences with each team playing 16 games over 19 weeks. IFL players earn US$250–500 per game played, with a $25 bonus given to players on the winning team each week. Additionally, the teams provide housing for its players during the season. The IFL has a player personnel partnership with the XFL, to function as their ''

de-facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' minor league.

History

Formation

The league was formed as a merger between the

and

, announced the day before the 2008 National Indoor Bowl Championship, a game which pitted the champions of the two leagues against each other. The

Sioux Falls Storm The Sioux Falls Storm are a professional indoor football team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Storm joined the original Indoor Football League as an expansion team in 1999 as the Sioux Falls Cobras, and first took the field for the 2000 ...

(United) defeated the

Louisiana Swashbucklers The Louisiana Swashbucklers were a professional indoor football team based in Lake Charles, Louisiana. They were formed in 2005 as an expansion member of the National Indoor Football League (NIFL) and were originally known as the Southwest Loui ...

(Intense) 54–42.

2009 season

Of the 17 teams involved in the two previous leagues, 14 moved over to the new organization's 2009 season. An additional three teams came over from the CIFL and two expansion teams began their life in the new IFL. In the United Bowl, the

Billings Outlaws The Billings Outlaws were a professional league indoor football team based in Billings, Montana. They were a member of the Indoor Football League (IFL), of which they were the 2-time defending champions. They played their home games at Rimrock A ...

(Intense Conference) took the league championship by defeating the

RiverCity Rage The RiverCity Rage were a professional indoor football team. They played home games at the Family Arena in Saint Charles, Missouri, part of the metropolitan area of St. Louis, Missouri, in past seasons, played in the Scottrade Center in downtow ...

(United Conference) by a score of 71–62.

2010s

2010 season

After losing two teams to attrition after the end of the 2009 season, and a third in January 2010, the IFL then added another nine franchises to boost its membership to 25 for the 2010 season. Three of the new teams were expansion franchises. Two moved over from the Southern Indoor Football League and

Continental Indoor Football League The Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) was an indoor football league based along the Midwestern United States region that played nine seasons from 2006 to 2014. It began play in April 2006 as the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIF ...

. After playing nine games of the 2010 season the

Alaska Wild The Alaska Wild were a professional indoor football team based in Anchorage, Alaska. The team was a member of the Pacific North Division of the Intense Conference of the Indoor Football League (IFL), after originally being an expansion member ...

suspended operations, leaving only 24 teams to finish the year. In the United Bowl, the

(Intense Conference) took the league championship by defeating the

(United Conference) by a score of 43–34.

2011 season

Seven new teams were added to the IFL for the 2011 season. Some of these were new expansion teams, and others moved to the IFL from the AIFA. The IFL also lost nine teams during the offseason, bringing the total number to 22 for 2011. In the United Bowl, the Sioux Falls Storm (United Conference) took the league championship by defeating the Tri-Cities Fever (Intense Conference) by a score of 37–10.

2012 season

The league had 16 teams that played the 2012 season. For the 2012 season, the IFL switched to a two-conference format with no divisions, due in large part to the loss of all the Texas-based teams (except the

Allen Wranglers Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univ ...

) to the newly formed

Lone Star Football League The Lone Star Football League (LSFL) was a regional professional indoor football minor league that played three seasons from 2012 to 2014. All of the LSFL's charter teams were based in the state of Texas, with five teams coming from the Southern ...

. The Wranglers brought attention to the league for offering a $500,000 contract to unemployed wide receiver

Terrell Owens Terrell Eldorado Owens (; born December 7, 1973), nicknamed T.O., is an American football wide receiver for the Knights of Degen of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. Regar ...

to become the team's part-owner and wide receiver. Owens accepted the contract.

ESPN3 ESPN3 (formerly ESPN360 and ESPN3.com) is an online streaming service owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which operates the network, through its 80% controlling ownership interest) and Hearst Communications ...

carried Owens's debut game against the

Wichita Wild The Wichita Wild were a professional indoor football team based in Wichita, Kansas. They were members of the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL). The team was founded in 2006 as an independent indoor football franchise. In 2008, ...

, but his association with the team and the league proved to be short-lived. The front office of the league saw changes as well, as Commissioner Tommy Benizio resigned. The league appointed assistant commissioner Robert Loving as the interim Commissioner.

2013 season

On October 12, 2012, the

Bloomington Edge The Bloomington Edge was a professional indoor football team based in Bloomington, Illinois. While it was in operation, the team hosted home games at Grossinger Motors Arena. Originally named the Bloomington Extreme, the team was a member of Unit ...

announced that the team had been sold to the owners of the

Bloomington Blaze The Bloomington Thunder were a minor professional ice hockey team that was a member of the Southern Professional Hockey League. Based in Bloomington, Illinois, the Thunder played their home games at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum, located in downtown ...

hockey franchise and would relocate to the new

Champions Professional Indoor Football League The Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) was an indoor football minor league based along the Midwestern United States region. The league began play in February 2013. In August 2014, the CPIFL and Lone Star Football League (LSFL) c ...

for the 2013 season. On January 21, 2013, the league announced that the owner of the Cheyenne Warriors had died and that the team would not be entering the league this season as planned.

2014 season

The league added the Minnesota-based

Bemidji Axemen The Bemidji Axemen were a professional indoor football team based in Bemidji, Minnesota. The Axemen joined the Indoor Football League (IFL) as an expansion team in 2013 and first took the field for the 2014 season. They participated in the Uni ...

to expand to 10 teams but the

Chicago Slaughter The Chicago Slaughter were an American professional football team based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Having been inactive since 2013, the franchise was a part of the CIFL from 2007 to 2009, winning the championship in 2009. The Slaughter joined ...

were sold and changed leagues, returning the IFL to nine teams for the 2014 season. In February 2014, the league announced that it would return to Montana in 2015 with the new

Billings Wolves The Billings Wolves were a professional indoor football team based in Billings, Montana and members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Wolves began play in 2015 as an expansion team of the IFL. The Wolves were owned by Ron Benzel and coache ...

franchise.

2015 season

On July 27, 2014,

Iowa Barnstormers The Iowa Barnstormers are a professional indoor American football, indoor football team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). They play their home games at Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines, Iowa) ...

president Jeff Lamberti hinted at joining the league by telling a local TV station that the franchise will explore "all options" in the off-season of their continuance to play, including leaving the

and going to the IFL for 2015. They joined the IFL in August 2014, becoming the fourth active AFL/af2 franchise to leave for the IFL since the Texas Revolution (formerly the Arkansas Twisters), the

Tri-Cities Fever The Tri-Cities Fever were a professional indoor football franchise based in Kennewick, Washington. The Fever joined National Indoor Football League (NIFL) in 2005 as an expansion team. The Fever were owned by Teri Carr. From 2005 to 2016, the Fe ...

and the

Green Bay Blizzard Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combina ...

. (The Revolution left the IFL for

Champions Indoor Football Champions Indoor Football (CIF) is a professional indoor American football minor league created in 2014 out of the merger between the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) and Lone Star Football League (LSFL), plus one team from ...

before ceasing operations in May 2019.)

2016 season

Triangle Torch vs Lehigh Valley Steelhawks 3

This was the first season the IFL utilized roster restrictions which call for all teams to carry no more than seven players with three or more years' experience in Indoor/Arena football. For the second consecutive season, an AFL team was strongly rumored to join the IFL, as

Spokane Shock The Spokane Shock were a professional indoor American football team based in Spokane, Washington, that played their home games at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The team was initially a member of arenafootball2 (af2), the Shock won divisio ...

owner Nader Naini said on August 10, 2015, that he was considering all options for the team. On September 1, the Shock officially joined the IFL, becoming the fifth active AFL/af2 franchise to leave for the IFL since the aforementioned Barnstormers, Fever, Blizzard and Revolution. The Shock, however, would have to enter the IFL under a new identity as the Arena League announced on October 12 that they would retain the rights to the Shock logos and name, possibly for future use by another franchise in the state of Washington. The team subsequently held a name-the-team contest, which resulted in their new identity as the

Spokane Empire Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canadi ...

. On September 9, the Minnesota Havok (based in

Mankato Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the state of Minnesota. The population was 44,488 according to the 2020 census, making it the 21st-largest city in Minnesota, and the 5th-largest outside of the Minnea ...

) were announced as an IFL team. However, on January 29, just four weeks before the 2016 season was to kick off, the Havok were terminated by the league for failing to meet operational standards. On November 25, the Minnesota Axemen folded due to the team "Not fulfilling their commitments to the league." Commissioner Mike Allshouse called the move a proactive one to prevent the team having to fold mid-season.

2017 season

On June 30, 2016, the IFL announced that the

franchise would be dormant, but in good standing with the IFL, for the 2017 season. Project FANchise, a group aiming to create a professional sports team where fans help run the day-to-day operations, announced they would operate a new team, the

Salt Lake Screaming Eagles The Salt Lake Screaming Eagles were a professional indoor football team based in West Valley City, Utah, near Salt Lake City. The Screaming Eagles started as an expansion team in the Indoor Football League (IFL) and began play in 2017 with home ...

in Salt Lake City. A fan vote determined the team's name and logo, and select fans will have access to player personnel decisions and in-game play calling. Project FANchise also bought the

Colorado Crush The Colorado Crush were an arena football team based in Denver, Colorado. They began play as a 2003 Arena Football League expansion team. The Crush played in the Central Division of the American Conference until the Arena Football League suspen ...

in October and began operating the team in the same manner. During the 2016 season, the Billings Wolves' website was hacked, was never completely fixed, and was non-operational for months. Several former staff members claimed that the team had folded after the completion of the season. On October 24, 2016, the Wolves announced they had left the IFL because of state regulations and failing to find new ownership for the team. On October 17, 2016, the IFL announced it had added the Arizona Rattlers, previously of the

, for the 2017 season. The Rattlers were the third team in three consecutive seasons to leave the AFL for the IFL. The league rejected the bid of another former AFL franchise, the

Jacksonville Sharks The Jacksonville Sharks are a professional indoor football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, playing their home games at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Beginning in 2017, the Sharks began play as charter members of the National Arena Leag ...

, who are located outside the IFL's regional territory. They subsequently announced their charter membership in an entirely new league, originally to have been called the Arena Development League but actually beginning play under the name

National Arena League The National Arena League (NAL) is a professional indoor football league that began play in 2017. It consists of teams based on the East Coast of the United States. Teams' typical payroll budget is $600,000 per season, while players are paid $ ...

2018 season

After the 2017 season came to a close, the website for the Colorado Crush was shut down with no formal announcement on the franchise's future. Project FANchise, which also ran the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles, had announced they would start their own league and left the IFL, with both teams going up for sale. No buyers for either team were subsequently found and the teams folded. On July 12, 2017, the Spokane Empire announced that they would be suspending operations effective immediately. On July 25, 2017, the IFL announced that only the Arizona Rattlers, Cedar Rapids Titans, Green Bay Blizzard, Iowa Barnstormers, and Nebraska Danger had committed to play for 2018. However, expansion clubs and current member clubs had until September 1 to commit to the 2018 season. On August 30, the Sioux Falls Storm announced that they had joined

for 2018 after winning six consecutive championships from 2011 to 2016. The Storm was shortly followed by the

Wichita Falls Nighthawks The Wichita Falls Nighthawks were a professional indoor American football team. They were based in Wichita Falls, Texas. The team was headquartered in Wichita Falls and played its home games at Kay Yeager Coliseum. The Nighthawks first joined the ...

. The IFL then added the

and

West Michigan Ironmen The West Michigan Ironmen are a professional indoor football team based in Muskegon, Michigan (and representing the larger region which also includes Grand Rapids and Holland), the Ironmen play their home games at Mercy Health Arena. The team jo ...

from the CIF on September 12. The CIF apparently then attempted to sue the IFL, Edge, and Ironmen for leaving the CIF after the two teams had already signed league affiliation agreements with the CIF for 2018. The IFL then threatened to sue the CIF, Storm, and Nighthawks in return despite neither former IFL team signing an affiliation agreement with the IFL for 2018. The CIF then retracted their lawsuit with the IFL but also removed the Storm and Nighthawks from their 2018 schedule. After the IFL meetings in October 2017, the Storm returned to the IFL but the Nighthawks had to suspend operations. While the CIF did drop the lawsuit against the IFL, it filed for an injunction against the Edge and Ironmen teams from participating in the IFL for breaking the terms of their signed affiliation agreements. A temporary injunction from participation in the league was granted on January 31, 2018, with the court ruling determining that both teams had been offered bribes from the owner of the Arizona Rattlers to break their contract with the CIF. The schedule was revised in February for the six participating teams stating the Edge and Ironmen were to return in 2019. During the season, the Cedar Rapids Titans' ownership announced the team was for sale with hopes of selling to new local ownership. In June 2018, it was announced that the Titans had been sold to Roy Choi, a California-based businessman, with the intentions of keeping the team Cedar Rapids but would rebrand the team.

2019 season

In August 2018, the IFL announced that the expansion

Tucson Sugar Skulls The Tucson Sugar Skulls are a professional indoor American football team based in Tucson, Arizona. They are members of the Indoor Football League (IFL) since the 2019 season as an expansion team. They play home games at Tucson Convention Center's ...

, owned by Rattlers' coach Kevin Guy, were joining the league after being rumored to have joined the CIF. On September 7, the IFL announced that the

Quad City Steamwheelers The Quad City Steamwheelers were a professional arena football team. They were a charter member of the AF2 and played their home games at iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois. The team was founded on September 1, 1999 when the Quad Cities was ...

would join the league from the CIF. The Cedar Rapids team announced their rebrand as the

Cedar Rapids River Kings The Cedar Rapids River Kings were a professional indoor football team based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The River Kings joined the Indoor Football League (IFL) as an expansion team in 2011 as the Cedar Rapids Titans and first took the field for the 20 ...

on September 22. On October 5, the

Bismarck Bucks The Bismarck Bucks are an indoor American football team based in Bismarck, North Dakota. The Bucks joined Champions Indoor Football (CIF) as an expansion team in 2016, and began play for the 2017 season. The team moved to the Indoor Football Lea ...

of the CIF announced their move to the IFL. On November 19, the IFL announced another expansion team, the

San Diego Strike Force The San Diego Strike Force is a professional indoor football team based in San Diego, California. It is a member of the Indoor Football League and began play in 2019 at Pechanga Arena in the city's Midway district. It is the second professional ...

, owned by the new Cedar Rapids owner Roy Choi to bring the league back up to ten teams. The addition of the Sugar Skulls and Strike Force gave the Rattlers geographic rivals, reducing that team's travel expenses in a league otherwise centered in the upper Midwest.

2020s

2020 season

On August 20, 2019, the

Duke City Gladiators The Duke City Gladiators are a professional indoor football team based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, a suburb of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They began play in March 2015 as members of the Champions Indoor Football (CIF) league. The Gladiators played ...

joined the IFL after winning back-to-back CIF championships. On September 10, the

Oakland Panthers The Bay Area Panthers are a professional indoor football team based in San Jose, California. They are a member of the Indoor Football League (IFL) and were to begin play in 2020 at Oakland Arena as the Oakland Panthers. Due the onset of the COV ...

, co-owned by former NFL running back

Marshawn Lynch Marshawn Terrell Lynch (born April 22, 1986) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. Nicknamed "Beast Mode", he spent the majority of his career with the Seattle Seahawks. Lync ...

, joined the IFL for the 2020 season. On November 1, the league added the

after it was resurrected by former NFL player

Sam Adams Samuel Adams ( – October 2, 1803) was an American statesman, political philosopher, and a Founding Father of the United States. He was a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and ...

, with the Spokane team reacquiring the Shock brand following the Empire's folding in 2017. The Bosselman family were looking to sell the

Nebraska Danger The Nebraska Danger was a professional indoor football team based in Grand Island, Nebraska, and a member of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The team was founded in 2011 by Charlie Bosselman as an expansion member of the IFL. The Danger played ...

, but no owner was found before the deadline for participating in the 2020 season. On November 24, 2019, the IFL added a thirteenth team in

Frisco, Texas Frisco is a city in Collin and Denton counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Its population was 200,509 at the 2 ...

, owned by the Germain family called the

Frisco Fighters The Frisco Fighters are a professional indoor football team based in Frisco, Texas. A member of the Indoor Football League, the Fighters play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team was set to participate in the 2020 season, but were ...

. The Germain family also purchased the sponsorship rights for the IFL, the management rights of the league's communications and marketing department, as well as a second expansion for the 2021 season in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, known as the Columbus Wild Dogs. Two games into the 2020 season, the league postponed the rest of the season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. On April 13, 2020, the season was fully cancelled.

2021 season

Frisco Comerica Center - IFL Frisco Fighters vs Duke City Gladiators - 05 June 2021 - 001

On June 26, 2020, the Columbus Wild Dogs announced it would not begin play until 2022. On August 19, 2020, the

Massachusetts Pirates The Massachusetts Pirates are a professional indoor football team of the Indoor Football League based in Worcester, Massachusetts, with home games at the DCU Center. The Pirates began play in the 2018 season as a member of the National Arena Lea ...

, formerly of the

, were added to the IFL for the 2021 season as the league's first East Coast-based team. On August 25, the league added the

Northern Arizona Wranglers The Northern Arizona Wranglers are a professional indoor football team based in Prescott Valley, Arizona. They are members of the Indoor Football League and play their home games at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley beginning in the ...

Prescott Valley, Arizona Prescott Valley is a town located in Yavapai County, Arizona, Yavapai County, Arizona, United States, approximately east of Prescott, Arizona, Prescott. According to the 2020 United States Census, Prescott Valley has a population of 46,785 resi ...

, for the 2021 season, joining the Arizona Rattlers and

as the third IFL team to be based in Arizona for 2021. On November 6, the Louisville Xtreme of

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, was added. The 2020 expansion

, as well as the

, Quad City Steamwheelers, and the

withdrew from the season due to the effects of the pandemic. On May 11, 2021, the IFL announced as broadcast partnership with

Stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

to air the ''IFL Game of the Week'' beginning May 15, 2021. On June 14, the IFL terminated the Xtreme's membership after five games played due to failing to maintain the league's minimum obligations and did not finish the season.

2022 season

On May 11, 2021, the IFL announced that

Bill Foley William Foley is an American photojournalist whose work has been recognized by several national and international awards, including a Pulitzer Prize and International Press Freedom Awards. He has worked on assignment in 47 countries, with a p ...

and the

Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expan ...

had purchased a 2022 expansion franchise to be based in the

Las Vegas Valley The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the Southern Nevada, southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Stat ...

called the

Vegas Knight Hawks The Vegas Knight Hawks are a professional indoor football team based in Henderson, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas. A member of the Indoor Football League (IFL), the Knight Hawks began play in 2022 at Dollar Loan Center. The Knight Hawks are owne ...

. In October 2021, the league updated its website, removing the Cedar Rapids River Kings and postponing the launch of the Columbus Wild Dogs to 2023. On February 24, 2022, the

were removed from the league after the team lost its lease for their home arena.

2023 season

On July 26, 2022, the IFL announced that Andy Scurto and the

Tulsa Oilers The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tuls ...

had purchased a 2023 expansion franchise to be based in Tulsa, which would also be called the

. On October 7, the

announced they will suspend operations for the 2023 season. For the 2023 season the league signed a player personnel partnership with the XFL, to function as their ''de-facto'' minor league.

Teams

Current

For the 2023 season, the league is split into two conferences.

2024 teams

Map of teams

Former

Abilene Ruff Riders The Abilene Bombers were a professional indoor football team. The Bombers played their home games at the Taylor County Expo Center, in Abilene, Texas. Team history The Bombers began play as the Katy Ruff Riders, a 2007 expansion team of the Int ...

– Left IFL after 2010 season for the

Southern Indoor Football League The Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) was an indoor football league based in the Southern and Eastern United States. The most recent incarnation of the league was a consolidation of an earlier league of the same name that was formed by Thom H ...

. *

– Team suspended operations nine games into the 2010 season. The coach and multiple players left to play elsewhere and the team no longer had money to continue the season. *

Amarillo Venom The Amarillo Venom were a professional indoor football team based in Amarillo, Texas. They played their home games at the Amarillo Civic Center. The Venom began play in 2004 as the Amarillo Dusters, a charter member of the Intense Football Leagu ...

– Left IFL after 2011 season for the

. *

Arctic Predators The Arctic Predators were a professional Indoor American football, indoor football (a variation of American football) team that played in 2010 as a member of the American Indoor Football Association. IFL Bid In May 2009, the Arctic Predators anno ...

– Originally announced as 2010 IFL member, but stalemate between ownership group and head coach led to lease difficulties; IFL franchise moved and became the

Kent Predators The Everett Raptors were a professional indoor football team based in Everett, Washington. The Raptors were member of the Intense Conference of the Indoor Football League (IFL). They played their home games at the Comcast Arena at Everett in Ever ...

. (A different team with the name Arctic Predators then became a member of the

American Indoor Football Association 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 ...

.) *

Arizona Adrenaline The Arizona Adrenaline were a professional indoor American football team based in Prescott Valley, Arizona. They were members of the Mountain West division of the Intense Conference of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Adrenaline were founded ...

– Ceased operations before the end of the 2011 season. Some games were played with a replacement team. *

Austin Turfcats The Austin Turfcats were a professional indoor football team based in Austin, Texas. The Turfcats were a member of the Indoor Football League (IFL) during the 2010 season, after being a charter member of the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL ...

– Was not in IFL for 2011 season.2011 IFL Schedule Announced
*

– Owner suspended the 2011 season and never returned. *

– Owner could not find a buyer for the team after the 2016 season and did not return. * Binghamton – Owner suspended the 2012 season and never returned. *

– Left IFL after 2012 season; rejoined the IFL for the 2018 season but was subsequently barred from playing in the IFL that season due to ligation over its departure from the CIF. Played an independent schedule in 2018 with the intent of rejoining the IFL in 2019, but were not included in the league schedule. In 2020 planned on joining the

American Arena League The American Arena League (AAL) is a professional indoor football minor league that began playing in 2018. The league was initiated by a merger between Arena Pro Football (APF) and the Can-Am Indoor Football League (Can-Am), although the AAL o ...

, but lost out on the lease to the arena to another tenant and subsequently folded. *

Bricktown Brawlers The Bricktown Brawlers were a professional indoor football team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They were a member of the Lonestar Division of the Intense Conference in the Indoor Football League (IFL). The team was founded in 2010 as an expan ...

– Ceased operations before the end of the 2011 season. Final games were played with a replacement team. * Cedar Rapids Titans/River Kings – Played as the Titans from 2012 to 2018. Were sold and rebranded as the River Kings for the 2019 season and folded after the cancelled 2020 season. *

CenTex Barracudas PulteGroup, Inc. is an American residential home construction company based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The company is the 3rd largest home construction company in the United States based on the number of homes closed. In total, the compa ...

– Originally announced as a 2009 IFL member but then was not included in 2009 alignment. *

Charlotte Speed The Carolina Speed were a professional indoor football team that operated from 2007 to 2011 in Concord and Charlotte, North Carolina, at Bojangles' Coliseum in 2009 and 2011. From 2007 to 2009, the Speed were members of the American Indoor Footba ...

– Originally intended to play during the 2013 IFL season but left for the PIFL instead. * Cheyenne Warriors – Owner died shortly before 2013 season began and team suspended IFL operations prior to first season. They played a few games in the DIFL, and shutdown entirely in May 2013. *

– Left IFL after 2013 season to join

, but never played in it. *

– Website shut down at the conclusion of the 2017 season after their owners,

Project FANchise Fan Controlled Football (FCF) is a professional 7-on-7 Indoor football league created in 2017 as the first sports league controlled by fans. All games are played at the Pullman Yards in Atlanta, Georgia and broadcast on Twitch, NBCLX, DAZN, Fu ...

, left the league to start their own league. *

Corpus Christi Hammerheads Corpus is Latin for "body". It may refer to: Linguistics * Text corpus, in linguistics, a large and structured set of texts * Speech corpus, in linguistics, a large set of speech audio files * Corpus linguistics, a branch of linguistics Music * ...

– Left IFL after 2010 season for the

. *

El Paso Generals The El Paso Generals were a professional indoor football team that played in the Indoor Football League in the 2009 season. Based in El Paso, Texas, the Generals played their home games at the El Paso County Coliseum. The Generals were the first ...

– Owners attempted to sell the team and after 2009 season and never returned. *

Everett Raptors The Everett Raptors were a professional indoor football team based in Everett, Washington. The Raptors were member of the Intense Conference of the Indoor Football League (IFL). They played their home games at the Comcast Arena at Everett in Ever ...

– Team folded after 2012 season. *

Everett Destroyers Everett may refer to: Places Canada * Everett, Ontario, a community in Adjala–Tosorontio, Simcoe County * Everett Mountains, a range on southern Baffin Island in Nunavut United States * Everett, Massachusetts, in Middlesex County, Massach ...

– Originally announced as a 2009 IFL member but then was not included in 2009 alignment. *

Fairbanks Grizzlies The Fairbanks Grizzlies were a professional indoor football team based in Fairbanks, Alaska. The team was a member of the Pacific Division of the Intense Conference in the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Grizzlies began play in 2008 as a member ...

– Owner suspended the 2012 season and never returned. *

Frisco Thunder The Frisco Thunder was an indoor football team in Frisco, Texas. They were members of the Intense Football League and played their home games at the Dr Pepper Arena. The Thunder began play in the Intense Football League. As an expansion team, th ...

– Originally announced as 2009 IFL member but then announced they would take season off while

Dr Pepper Arena Comerica Center (previously Deja Blue Arena and Dr Pepper Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in Frisco, Texas. It is the home of the Texas Legends of the NBA G League and the Frisco Fighters of the Indoor Football League, as well as the executive o ...

was being renovated and never returned. * La Crosse Spartans – Owners suspended the team and started the Cedar Rapids Titans. The team failed to find new ownership in 2011 and never returned. *

Lehigh Valley Steelhawks The Lehigh Valley Steelhawks were a professional indoor football team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Steelhawks began play as an expansion team in the Indoor Football League (IFL) in 2011. The Steelhawks moved to the Professional Indoor ...

– Left IFL after 2012 season for the

Professional Indoor Football League The Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) was a professional indoor football league that played four seasons from 2012 to 2015. Like the Lone Star Football League, the PIFL was mainly composed of teams formerly part of Southern Indoor Foot ...

. *

– A member of the Intense Football League in 2008; left Indoor Football League prior to its inaugural season for the

. * Louisville Xtreme – Added for the 2021 season but membership was terminated by the league after five games played. *

Maryland Maniacs The Maryland Maniacs were a professional Indoor Football team based in College Park, Maryland, and a member of the Indoor Football League. The team began play in 2009 as an expansion team in the Indoor Football League. The Maniacs were the secon ...

– Owner suspended the 2011 season and never returned. * Minnesota Axemen – Membership terminated in 2015 by the league due to franchise's failure to meet league obligations. * Minnesota Havok – Announced for 2016 season but were terminated by the league one month prior to the season for failure to reach minimum operational standards. *

New Mexico Stars The New Mexico Stars were a professional indoor football team based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The Stars played their home games at the Santa Ana Star Center. They began play in the Indoor Football League (IFL) during the 2012 season as an expa ...

– Left IFL after 2012 season for the

. *

– Joined in 2011; owner put the team up for sale at the end of the 2019 season and did not find a buyer before the 2020 season. *

Omaha Beef The Omaha Beef is an indoor football team and a charter member of the Champions Indoor Football (CIF) league. Based in Omaha, Nebraska, the Beef play their home games at Liberty First Credit Union Arena in nearby Ralston. History First 13 seas ...

– Left IFL after 2012 season for the

. *

Reading Express The Reading Express were a professional indoor football team based in Reading, Pennsylvania. They were most recently a member of the United Conference of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Express began play in 2006, as an expansion team of ...

– Took 2013 season off and never returned. *

Richmond Revolution The Richmond Revolution was a professional indoor football team based in Richmond, Virginia that played in the Indoor Football League from 2010 to 2011. For the 2010 season, they played their home games at the Arthur Ashe Athletic Center. Becau ...

– Owner suspended the 2012 season and never returned. *

– Owner suspended the team to focus on the

. *

Rochester Raiders The Rochester Raiders were a professional indoor football team based in the Rochester, New York area. They played their home games at Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex in Rochester. The Raiders were previously a member of the Continental Indoor Foot ...

– Owner suspended the 2011 season and never returned. *

Saginaw Sting The Saginaw Sting was a professional Indoor Football team based in Saginaw, Michigan. The team was most recently a member of American Indoor Football (AIF). They began play in 2008 as an expansion team in the Continental Indoor Football League ...

– Left for the

Ultimate Indoor Football League The Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) was a regional professional indoor football league that began its inaugural season on February 18, 2011 as the Ultimate Indoor Football League before playing as the United Indoor Football League in 2012 ...

after sitting out the 2010 season. *

– After

left the IFL to start a new league, the Screaming Eagles were never able to secure new ownership. *

San Angelo Stampede Express The San Angelo Stampede Express was a professional indoor football team from San Angelo, Texas owned by Darlene Jones. They were announced as a charter member of the Lone Star Football League but folded before play began in 2012. They played t ...

– Owner suspended the 2011 season and never returned. *

Sioux City Bandits The Sioux City Bandits are a professional indoor football team based in Sioux City, Iowa, and compete as a member of Champions Indoor Football (CIF). The team was founded in 1999 as the Sioux City Attack. In 2001, the team assumed their current ...

– Left IFL after 2010 season for the American Professional Football League. *

– Owner suspended operations after the 2017 season and eventually reacquired the

brand. The Shock returned to the league in 2020. *

– Returned for the cancelled 2020 season and played the 2021 season. Removed from league after the team lost its lease in prior to the 2022 season. * Texas Revolution – Left IFL after 2014 season, now defunct. *

– Team went dormant after the 2016 season with the franchise remaining in good standing with the IFL, but the current ownership has no plans for a return. *

Tucson Thunder Kats , "(at the) base of the black

ill ILL may refer to: * ''I Love Lucy'', a landmark American television sitcom * Illorsuit Heliport (location identifier: ILL), a heliport in Illorsuit, Greenland * Institut Laue–Langevin, an internationally financed scientific facility * Interlibrar ...

, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive ...

– Team joined the AIFA West before being officially accepted into the IFL but ended up suspending operations in November 2010 due to financial losses instead. *

– Attempted to join the IFL for the 2018 season from the CIF but was barred from joining. The team was sold in 2018 and the new ownership was announced as rejoining the CIF for 2019, but were not included for 2019 and instead joined Midwest Professional Indoor Football. * West Michigan ThunderHawks – Owner suspended the 2011 season and never returned. *

Wenatchee Valley Venom The Wenatchee Valley Venom were a professional indoor football team based in Wenatchee, Washington. The team was most recently a member of the Pacific Division of the Intense Conference of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Venom were founded ...

– Owner suspended the 2012 season and never returned. *

West Texas Roughnecks The West Texas Roughnecks were a professional indoor football team based in Odessa, Texas that plays in the Lone Star Football League. The team's nickname was a tribute to the oil industry, which has been the source of Odessa's wealth over the ...

– Left IFL after 2011 season for the Lone Star Football League. *

– Left for Champions Indoor Football after the 2017 season but folded due to league disputes. *

– Left IFL after the 2012 season, for the Champions Indoor Football League. *

Wyoming Cavalry The Wyoming Cavalry were an American professional indoor football team based in Casper, Wyoming. They were most recently members of the Intense Conference in the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Cavalry began play in 2000 as an expansion member ...

– Owner ceased operations in September 2014.

Timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:2009 till:2024 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:10 left:5 bottom:50 top:5 Colors = id:line value:black id:Now value:rgb(0.9,0.8,0.7) # current member id:Past value:rgb(0.9,0.7,0.7) # former member id:Future value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.7) # future member id:Hiatus value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) # dormant member PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:Past from:2009 till:2011 text:

(2009–2010) bar:2 color:Past from:2009 till:2011 text:

(2009–2010) bar:3 color:Past from:2009 till:2011 text:

(2009–2010) bar:4 color:Past from:2009 till:2013 text: Bloomington Extreme/Edge (2009–2012) bar:5 color:Past from:2009 till:2018 text: Colorado Ice/Crush (2009–2017) bar:6 color:Past from:2009 till:2011 text:

(2009–2010) bar:7 color:Past from:2009 till:2010 text:

(2009) bar:8 color:Past from:2009 till:2012 text:

(2009–2011) bar:9 color:Past from:2009 till:2011 text:

(2009–2010) bar:10 color:Past from:2009 till:2012 text: Odessa Roughnecks/West Texas Roughnecks (2009–2011) bar:11 color:Past from:2009 till:2013 text:

(2009–2012) bar:12 color:Past from:2009 till:2010 text:

(2009) bar:13 color:Past from:2009 till:2011 text:

(2009–2010) bar:14 color:Past from:2009 till:2010 text:

(2009) bar:15 color:Past from:2009 till:2011 text:

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(2009–2010) bar:17 color:Now from:2009 till:end text:

(2009–present) bar:18 color:Past from:2009 till:2011 text: West Michigan ThunderHawks (2009–2010) bar:19 color:Past from:2009 till:2013 text:

(2009–2012) bar:20 color:Past from:2010 till:2012 text:

(2010–2011) bar:21 color:Past from:2010 till:2013 text: Kent Predators/Seattle Timberwolves/Everett Raptors (2010–2012) bar:22 color:Past from:2010 till:2015 text: Arkansas Diamonds/Allen Wranglers/Texas Revolution (2010–2014) bar:23 color:Past from:2010 till:2011 text:

(2010) bar:24 color:Past from:2010 till:2014 text:

(2010–2013) bar:25 color:Now from:2010 till:end text:

(2010–present) bar:26 color:Past from:2010 till:2012 text: La Crosse Spartans (2010–2011) bar:27 color:Past from:2010 till:2012 text:

(2010–2011) bar:28 color:Past from:2010 till:2017 text:

(2010–2016) bar:29 color:Past from:2011 till:2012 text:

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(2011–2019) bar:33 color:Past from:2011 till:2013 text:

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(2011) bar:35 color:Past from:2011 till:2015 text:

(2011–2014) bar:36 color:Past from:2012 till:2021 text: Cedar Rapids Titans/River Kings (2012–2020) bar:37 color:Past from:2012 till:2013 text:

(2012) bar:38 color:Past from:2014 till:2016 text: Bemidji/Minnesota Axemen (2014–2015) bar:39 color:Past from:2015 till:2017 text:

(2015–2016) bar:40 color:Now from:2015 till:end text:

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(2016–2017) bar:42 color:Past from:2020 till:2022 shift:0 text:

(2020–2021) bar:43 color:Now from:2017 till:end text: Arizona Rattlers (2017–present) bar:44 color:Past from:2017 till:2018 text:

(2017) bar:45 color:Now from:2019 till:end text:

(2019–present) bar:46 color:Now from:2019 till:2021 shift:-10 text:

(2019–present) bar:46 color:Hiatus from:2021 till:2022 text: bar:46 color:Now from:2022 till:end text: bar:47 color:Now from:2019 till:end shift:-10 text:

(2019–present) bar:47 color:Hiatus from:2021 till:2022 text: bar:47 color:Now from:2022 till:end text: bar:48 color:Now from:2019 till:end shift:-10 text:

(2019–present) bar:49 color:Now from:2020 till:end shift:-50 text:

(2020–present) bar:50 color:Now from:2020 till:end shift:-50 text:

(2020–present) bar:51 color:Past from:2020 till:2021 shift:-50 text:

(2020) bar:51 color:Hiatus from:2021 till:2022 text: bar:51 color:Now from:2022 till:end text:

Bay Area Panthers The Bay Area Panthers are a professional indoor football team based in San Jose, California. They are a member of the Indoor Football League (IFL) and were to begin play in 2020 at Oakland Arena as the Oakland Panthers. Due the onset of the COV ...

(2022–) bar:52 color:Past from:2021 till:2022 shift:-100 text: Louisville Xtreme (2021) bar:53 color:Now from:2021 till:end shift:-100 text:

(2021–present) bar:54 color:Now from:2021 till:end shift:-100 text:

(2021–present) bar:55 color:Now from:2022 till:end shift:-100 text:

(2022–) bar:56 color:Future from:2023 till:end shift:-100 text: Columbus Wild Dogs (2023–) bar:57 color:Future from:2023 till:end shift:-100 text:

(2023–) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:1 start:2010

IFL Championship Game

The IFL Championship Game (formerly the United Bowl) has been played every season since 2009. The current IFL champions are the

, who won the championship game in 2022. The

won six straight United Bowls from 2011 to 2016. The IFL continued to use the "United Bowl" name originally used by

. The UIF used this name before they merged with

to form the Indoor Football League. The UIF held United Bowl I, II, III, and IV in 2005 through 2008, with all four being won by the

. Although the name "National Indoor Bowl Championship" was used for the 2008 contest between the UIF and the Intense Football League, the "United Bowl" name was used for the combined league's championship instead up through 2021. Starting in the 2022 season the league started a three-year deal to play the now named IFL National Championship Game in the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada.

Results

Media

On May 11, 2021, the IFL announced a national television partnership with

, in which Stadium will air the IFL Game of The Week nationally each week for the rest of the season. The deal was negotiated by The Team Management, LLC, and each game will be produced exclusively by BEK Communications. All other games will still be streamed through YouTube. Some teams also have individual contracts with local or regional TV and radio channels.

Hall of Fame

The Indoor Football League Hall of Fame is the official Hall of Fame of the IFL. The creation and inaugural class for this Hall was formed in 2014 and consisted of three inductees. All classes between 2014 and 2019 have consisted of three inductees which have contributed to the league in a significant way. There were no inductees for 2020; however, the 2021 class included four inductees. The Hall of Fame is the highest honor for players, coaches, and contributors involved in the IFL. The league was formed out of the merger of two indoor football leagues

and

, which qualifies players who have also contributed at a high level to these former leagues prior to the merger. This Hall of Fame only incorporates contributors to the IFL, and its former leagues, so no other indoor or arena football leagues factor into the inductions. The

has its own corresponding

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

. There is currently no physical location for the Indoor Football League Hall of Fame. Unlike the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

and

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about t ...

, there is no museum to view the inductees. Instead, it is more similar to the Arena Football Hall of Fame in that the inductees are enshrined online and without a physical location.

Qualifications

In order to be nominated for the Indoor Football League Hall of Fame, a candidate must have contributed in some significant fashion to be enshrined in the Hall. There is no official criteria that must be met other than the self-explained significant contributions to the league. Unlike other football Hall of Fames, the IFL Hall of Fame is far more new and laxed. To qualify, a member would need to significantly contribute to a franchise that played in the IFL, United Indoor Football, or Intense Football League during their tenure.

Ceremony and Hall of Fame Game

Starting with the 2021 season, the league added a new tradition of a Hall of Fame game. Similar to the

Pro Football Hall of Fame Game The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game is an annual National Football League (NFL) exhibition game in Canton, Ohio, held the weekend of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's induction ceremonies. The game is played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, part ...

, the first game of the season will now commemorate and recognize the hall of fame class for that year. Before this, the inductees were celebrated during the

United Bowl United Bowl may refer to: * The championship game of the former United Indoor Football league from 2005 to 2008 * The championship game of the Indoor Football League, which acquired UIF, from 2009 to the present * The proposed name of the 2009 U ...

championship game.

Inductees

The list is complete up to date 2022 Hall of Fame class.

References

External links

* {{Top sport leagues in the United States Indoor American football leagues in the United States Sports leagues established in 2008 Articles which contain graphical timelines Professional sports leagues in the United States