Bandits are part of UIF-IFL merger
Indoor Football League starts play next season
By Jerry Giese, Journal sports writer | Posted: Monday, August 04, 2008
Posted from 08/02/08:
The Sioux City Bandits are in yet another new indoor football league.
In a press conference Friday at Sioux Falls, officials from United Indoor Football and the Intense Football League announced a merger of the two leagues. Starting in the 2009 season, the Bandits will be part of a 17-team league simply named the Indoor Football League.
For the first time, the champions from both leagues are playing tonight in the National Indoor Bowl Championship game at the Sioux Falls Arena. The Sioux Falls Storm, who claimed their fourth straight United Bowl on July 12 with a 40-35 win over the Bloomington Extreme, will take a 13-3 record into a 7:05 p.m. contest against the Intense Bowl IV Champion, the Louisiana Swashbucklers. The Swashbucklers (16-0) whipped the Corpus Christi Hammerheads 66-35 last Monday.
Each league has been in existence for four years. The Bandits, the Storm and the Extreme played in UIF this season along with the Billings Outlaws, the Colorado Ice, the Omaha Beef, the River City Rage and the Wichita Wild.
Corpus Christi had a 10-4 record this season while placing second in the Intense Football League. Five Texas teams participated in the IFL - the Central Texas Barracudas, Frisco Thunder, Katy Ruff-Riders, Odessa Rough Necks and San Angelo Stampede Express.
The league also included two Alaska teams, the Alaska Wild (based in Anchorage) and the Fairbanks Grizzlies.
"All eight of our teams (from UIF) are solid and all nine of their teams are solid," said Bandits general manager/managing partner Bob Scott.
"There are four other teams from the country looking at the league. It makes sense for us. We have solid owners and good teams, but we knew we had to look for expansion."
Scott said former UIF executive director Dakota Crow initiated the discussions with the Intense Football League two years ago. Crow is now part of the ownership team of the Omaha Beef.
Current UIF executive director Paul Aaron resumed talks this season.
"Paul did a great job and was instrumental in helping to get this done," said Scott. "It's good. We need to have a broader base in this league."
UIF had 11 teams in 2005, its first season. The Bandits, the Storm and the Beef entered after each competing in the National Indoor Football League from 2001-04. Billings, another former NIFL team, became a UIF member in 2006.
Sioux City started indoor football play in 2000, competing in the old Indoor Football League.
The Intense Football League started in 2004, suspended operations in 2005, then resumed play in 2006. The Amarillo (Texas) Dusters won the first Intense Bowl, Corpus Christi won in 2006 and the Swashbucklers, based in Lake Charles, La., claimed league titles in 2007 and 2008.
Each team will play a 14-game regular-season schedule that includes seven home games. Fans should not expect a huge change in the way the game is played, but there will be some aspects from UIF and IFL that will be brought to the new league.
Many details of the new league, including conference and division alignments, will be decided at the first-ever league meetings held in Omaha in mid-September. Final expansion will be also be discussed.
The Sioux City Bandits are in yet another new indoor football league.
In a press conference Friday at Sioux Falls, officials from United Indoor Football and the Intense Football League announced a merger of the two leagues. Starting in the 2009 season, the Bandits will be part of a 17-team league simply named the Indoor Football League.
For the first time, the champions from both leagues are playing tonight in the National Indoor Bowl Championship game at the Sioux Falls Arena. The Sioux Falls Storm, who claimed their fourth straight United Bowl on July 12 with a 40-35 win over the Bloomington Extreme, will take a 13-3 record into a 7:05 p.m. contest against the Intense Bowl IV Champion, the Louisiana Swashbucklers. The Swashbucklers (16-0) whipped the Corpus Christi Hammerheads 66-35 last Monday.
Each league has been in existence for four years. The Bandits, the Storm and the Extreme played in UIF this season along with the Billings Outlaws, the Colorado Ice, the Omaha Beef, the River City Rage and the Wichita Wild.
Corpus Christi had a 10-4 record this season while placing second in the Intense Football League. Five Texas teams participated in the IFL - the Central Texas Barracudas, Frisco Thunder, Katy Ruff-Riders, Odessa Rough Necks and San Angelo Stampede Express.
The league also included two Alaska teams, the Alaska Wild (based in Anchorage) and the Fairbanks Grizzlies.
"All eight of our teams (from UIF) are solid and all nine of their teams are solid," said Bandits general manager/managing partner Bob Scott.
"There are four other teams from the country looking at the league. It makes sense for us. We have solid owners and good teams, but we knew we had to look for expansion."
Scott said former UIF executive director Dakota Crow initiated the discussions with the Intense Football League two years ago. Crow is now part of the ownership team of the Omaha Beef.
Current UIF executive director Paul Aaron resumed talks this season.
"Paul did a great job and was instrumental in helping to get this done," said Scott. "It's good. We need to have a broader base in this league."
UIF had 11 teams in 2005, its first season. The Bandits, the Storm and the Beef entered after each competing in the National Indoor Football League from 2001-04. Billings, another former NIFL team, became a UIF member in 2006.
Sioux City started indoor football play in 2000, competing in the old Indoor Football League.
The Intense Football League started in 2004, suspended operations in 2005, then resumed play in 2006. The Amarillo (Texas) Dusters won the first Intense Bowl, Corpus Christi won in 2006 and the Swashbucklers, based in Lake Charles, La., claimed league titles in 2007 and 2008.
Each team will play a 14-game regular-season schedule that includes seven home games. Fans should not expect a huge change in the way the game is played, but there will be some aspects from UIF and IFL that will be brought to the new league.
Many details of the new league, including conference and division alignments, will be decided at the first-ever league meetings held in Omaha in mid-September. Final expansion will be also be discussed.
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