The Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) was an

indoor Indoor(s) may refer to: *the interior of a building *Indoor environment, in building science, traditionally includes the study of indoor thermal environment, indoor acoustic environment, indoor light environment, and indoor air quality *Built envi ...

football minor league based along the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

region. The league began play in February 2013. In August 2014, the CPIFL and

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 ...

(LSFL) completed a merger to form

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 fr ...

(CIF) and began play in 2015.

Season structure

During the off-season, teams held open tryouts for free-agent players to earn invites to pre-season camps.

Free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

tryouts ranged from October to January depending on the individual team. Pre-season typically ran the duration of February and could involve exhibition games with teams inside the league or outside teams in other indoor football leagues. The regular season schedule was a 12-game format typically starting in mid-March and going until mid-June. Each team played six home games and six road games, typically on Friday and Saturday nights, with some exceptions like occasional Sunday afternoon games. The four teams with the best overall record at the end of the season qualified for post-season play. The teams with the best records hosted the first round of the playoffs, with the first-place team hosting the fourth-place team and the second-place team hosting the third-place team. The league did not have a divisional split. The second round of the playoffs was considered the CPIFL Championship game to crown the league champion each year.

League history

In August 2012,

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 ...

' managing partner, Bob Scott, generated the idea of a league that would be run by team owners, and not by a president. The idea came after the Bandits had spent two years in the American Professional Football League. The focus was to build the highest level of indoor football in the Midwest by adding teams to the league, linking "well-established teams currently coming from Iowa, Missouri and Kansas." The CPIFL brought together the top indoor football teams in the Midwest from existing leagues such as 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 ...

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams am ...

, and the American Professional Football League to fill the new league. The CPIFL is bringing back rivalries from the past. Tulsa (Oklahoma Defenders) vs. Wichita (Wild), Lincoln (Haymakers) vs. Omaha (Beef), Lincoln vs. Sioux City (Bandits) and Omaha vs. Sioux City are a few examples. The league gained its first member on August 11, 2012, when the Bandits officially announced their intentions to join the CPIFL. Also on August 11, the league voted that James Bain would be the league's first Commissioner. On August 14, 2014, it was announced on the league website that they had merged with the

to create what they claimed to be the largest indoor football league in the country.Merger Between CPIFL and LSFL is a Success
, CPIFL website, August 14, 2014

Teams

Map - Champions Professional Indoor Football League

Former teams

Mid-Missouri Outlaws The Mid-Missouri Outlaws were a professional indoor football team which began play in 2006 and were a charter member of the Champions Professional Indoor Football League. Based in Sedalia, Missouri, the Outlaws played their home games at the Mat ...

– played 2013 season in CPIFL before leaving to join outdoor semi-pro Central Plains Football League. *

Kansas City Renegades The Kansas City Renegades were a charter member of the Champions Professional Indoor Football League based in Kansas City, Missouri. They played their home games at Kemper Arena. The Renegades were the second arena/indoor team based in Kansas Cit ...

– played 2013 season in CPIFL, then abruptly folded.

CPIFL Champions Bowl results

References

{{Profootball Defunct indoor American football leagues in the United States Sports leagues established in 2012 Sports leagues disestablished in 2014 2012 establishments in the United States 2014 disestablishments in the United States