Arena & Indoor Football Preview & Review of 1st Couple Weeks

It's the time of year when arena and indoor football start their seasons. A couple leagues have already started their seasons, but most of the leagues are starting soon. Below are reports on the arena/indoor football leagues playing this spring.


Arena Football League


The Arena Football League is the premier arena football league and is in it's 25th season. It has its first game tomorrow with the Pittsburgh Power facing off against Orlando Predators at 8 pm on NFL Network.  The game is being called the Hall of Fame Game because the Arena Football League Hall of Fame class of 2011 will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Members of the class include QB Kurt Warner, WR Eddie Brown, and WR/DB Barry Wagner.

Aaron Garcia is one of the best in AFL History
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The defending champions are the Jacksonville Sharks. The Sharks won ArenaBowl XXIV over the Arizona Rattlers 73-70. They were lead by QB Aaron Garcia. Garcia had a career year with 116 TDs, 4933 passing yards, and 402 completions on 562 attempts for a 71.5 completion percentage The 41 year old Garcia left in the offseason and signed the San Antonio Talons, who just relocated from Tulsa. Jomo Wilson caught 43 of Garcia's 116 TD's and joined him San Antonio. 


The Tampa Bay Storm are the only team that has played in every season of the Arena Football League. Originally, the Storm were in Pittsburgh and played as the Gladiators. Pittsburgh beat the Washington Commanders in the 1st official AFL game, 48-46. They moved to the Tampa area after the 1990 season and became the Storm.  They played in the Florida Suncoast Dome (now Tropicana Field). They moved to Ice Palace, now the Tampa Bay Times Forum in 1997.  Since their move to the Tampa, the Storm have won 5 ArenaBowls, ArenaBowl V, ArenaBowl VII, ArenaBowl IX, ArenaBowl X, and ArenaBowl XVII. After missing the playoffs last year, Tampa Bay really wants to get back into the playoffs for their 25th season. 


Indoor Football League 


The Indoor Football League started a couple weeks before every league, with their 1st game on February 19th between the Bloomington Edge and Chicago Slaughter in the Kick Off Classic. The Sioux Falls Storm won last years United Bowl over the Tri-Cities Fever. Sioux Falls' QB Chris Dixon is a 2 time IFL MVP and had 74 passing TD's and 21 TD's on the ground. They look  are looking to make their 3rd straight United Bowl and win their 2nd. 

Terrell Owens with the Allen Wranglers
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The biggest news in the offseason of arena/indoor football was 6 time Pro Bowler and 5 time All Pro WR Terrell Owens signing with the IFL's Allen Wranglers. TO also got a stake in the ownership of the Wranglers. Throwing to Owens is dual threat Bryan Randell. Randell, the 2010 IFL MVP, joined the Wranglers after spending his 2011 season with the Richmond Raiders of the SIFL. In the team's first game, Owens caught 3 passes for 53 yards. All of his catches were for TD's. He didn't catch 1 ball in the 2nd game against the Everest Raptors.


American Indoor Football 


The American Indoor Football is having it's first season as the American Indoor Football. From 2006-2010 the league was called the American Indoor Football Association. Last year, the teams from AIFA East Division merged with the SIFL. After a season of the merger, the AIF CEO decided to leave the SIFL and reestablished the AIFA as the AIF. This year, the AIF is having it's All-Star Game in Cancun, Mexico. I think this is a great idea by trying to globalize the game. I don't know if it will be successful or not but I hope it is. That is probably the biggest part of their season. 

Julie Harshbarger with the Chicago Cardinals in 2010
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Continental Indoor Football League 


The Continental Indoor Football League is in their 6th season and also have 6 teams. One of their teams is the Chicago Vipers. The Vipers kicker is Julie Harshbarger, She played with the Chicago Cardinals in 2010 and the Chicago Knights in 2011, both teams are in the CIFL. Last year she was 8 for 14 on Field Goals and 19-26 on PATs giving her 43 points scored on the year. The 43 points was the most scored on the team and she was 2nd in the league in PAT percentage.


Lone Star Football League 


The Lone Star Football League is having it 1st season, starting March 24th. All the teams are in Texas. The teams are Abilene Ruff Riders, Amarillo Venom, Corpus Christi Hammerheads, Houston Stallions, Laredo Rattlesnakes, Rio Grande Valley Magic, and West Texas Roughnecks. I really like the idea of the Lone Star Football League because Texas loves football and this can fill their need for it in he spring. I believe this league can be very successful.


Professional Indoor Football League


The Professional Indoor Football League is also having it's inaugural season too. They are going to have 6 teams for the first season from the Old Dominion to the Pelican State. The teams are Alabama Hammers, Albany Panthers, Columbus Lions, Knoxville NightHawks, Louisiana Swashbucklers, and Richmond Raiders. Richmond and Columbus are facing off in the season opener on March 10th. They league is looking to start off well.

Jared Lorenzen last year playing for the River Monsters
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United Indoor Football League


The United Indoor Football League is in it's sophomore season. The commissioner is former NFL QB Jared Lorenzen, who played in the league last year for the North Kentucky River Monsters (Now not in the league). Many teams in the league are new to the league. The had their 1st games last week. One of the games, between the Erie Explosion and the Western Pennsylvania Sting, was a blowout, 81-7. For Erie, D-Lineman Mike Robinson had 5 sacks and returned a fumble for a TD.


American Professional Football League


Like many other leagues, the American Professional Football League is having a monumental year. The APFL's 10th season starts on March 24th with a game between the Mid Missouri Outlaws and the Springfield Wolfpack and a match-up of the Oklahoma Defenders and the defending champions, Sioux City Bandits. The league has added 3 new teams this year, Cheyenne Warriors Colorado Lightning, and Oklahoma. It looks like it will be one of the best seasons of the APFL.