The Trenton Steel was a professional indoor football team that began play in 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 ...
(SIFL) in the 2011 season. The team suspended operations December 27, 2011. The Steel were based in
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Sun National Bank Center.
History
The team was announced as a 2011 expansion franchise in 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 ...
Harrisburg Stampede
The Harrisburg Stampede were a professional indoor football team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Stampede participated in several different leagues over their history: the American Indoor Football Association in 2009 and 2010, the Southern ...
on June 12, 2010. The Steel became Trenton's first indoor football team since the
Indoor Professional Football League
The Indoor Professional Football League (IPFL) was the new incarnation of the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL), which started in 1998. Two of its teams (the Madison Mad Dogs and the Green Bay Bombers) left the league and their owner, ...
's
Trenton Lightning
The Trenton Lightning were an indoor professional football team founded in 2000 by owner/general manager, Phillip J. Subhan and local businessman, Kenneth Samu. The team started the 2001 season in the Indoor Professional Football League ( IPFL) ...
. That team folded in 2001 after only six games played, all losses, because of their owner's indictment on various charges. However, the AIFA was split for the 2011 season and the Eastern Conference teams were merged into 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 ...
, including the Steel.
On November 4, 2010, the Steel announced its ownership group, owned by Fanteractive LLC and new team president Andrew Bondarowicz. Richard Lisk, who spent several seasons as the general manager of the
Philadelphia Soul
Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often feat ...
as well as the
Trenton Titans
The Trenton Titans were a professional minor league ice hockey team that played in the ECHL. The team last played in the Atlantic Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Titans played their home games at the Sun National Bank Center in Trent ...
of the
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The E ...
, was named the general manager. Rod Miller was hired as the head coach with assistants in Kahlil Carter, Jermaine Lewis and Rob Stanavitch.
The team made its home debut March 26, 2011, losing 76–73 to the
Erie Explosion
The Erie Explosion was a professional American indoor football team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2007 as the Pittsburgh RiverRats, the Explosion played in the Professional Indoor Football League, the United Indoor Football League, the ...
before a crowd of 3,620 fans. The team earned its first victory, defeating the Explosion, 65–62, at Erie's Tulio Arena on April 9. The Steel defeated the Carolina Speed 86–42 on April 16 for their first win at home and the first home victory by an indoor football team representing Trenton. With a 52–22 win at the
Harrisburg Stampede
The Harrisburg Stampede were a professional indoor football team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Stampede participated in several different leagues over their history: the American Indoor Football Association in 2009 and 2010, the Southern ...
on June 11, the Steel finished their first regular season with an 8-4 record and qualified for the SIFL playoffs. The team finished its inaugural season with a 62–60 loss to the
Columbus Lions
The Columbus Lions are a professional indoor football team based in Columbus, Georgia and are a member of the American Indoor Football Alliance. The were a founding member of the National Arena League (NAL) for the 2017 season. The Lions were ...
in the SIFL Eastern Conference semifinal.
After the season, the SIFL proved to be highly unstable and teams split off to form other leagues by September 2011. The Steel were claimed by a resurrected AIFA, then rebranded as
American Indoor Football
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 ...
(AIF), after it had failed to play the previous season with its western teams.
On December 27, 2011, the Steel's management announced that they would not field a team for the 2012 season. High travel costs due to a lack of nearby opponents and a dearth of corporate sponsors led to serious financial losses for the team in its first season. With minor indoor football leagues going through a period of instability, ownership did not believe that the team could operate successfully in 2012 but did not rule out a possible return in 2013.