AIFA Heads North To Alaska
January 5, 2010 - American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) News Release
BALTIMORE, Maryland (January 5, 2010) - The American Indoor Football Association has awarded an expansion franchise to the community of Wasilla, Alaska for the 2010 season. The team will play in the AIFA's Western Conference.
"We are very pleased to welcome this franchise to the AIFA, and we believe that our business model gives this team the best chance to be successful," said league co-founder John Morris. "We are excited about working with the City of Wasilla, and we are very pleased to be bringing quality indoor football to the Mat-Su Valley."
The Wasilla ownership group is headed by Hans Deemer, a man with deep roots in Alaska football. There are three other prominent local partners.
"I think that people are really opening their eyes to indoor football," Deemer told This Week in the AIFA. "I haven't been anywhere where somebody told me they weren't interested. They all want to be involved in some way.
"I definitely pursued them (the AIFA) hard and heavy," Deemer said. "It came to me more and more that we belonged in the AIFA and the AIFA had the best interests in Alaska football as a whole. The more I spoke with the AIFA, the more I felt comfortable that this was the exact fit (for us)."
The franchise will draw support from fans throughout the Mat-Su Valley, a region with a population of over 80,000 people. Wasilla is located approximately 45 miles northeast of Anchorage and is considered part of the Anchorage metropolitan area.
The team will play its home games in the state-of-the-art Curtis D. Menard Sports Center in Wasilla. The arena has sky boxes, as well as a 50-yard turf indoor field which can be used throughout the year. The team's offices will also be housed in the complex.
"The addition of this franchise continues to strengthen our Western Conference," said AIFA co-founder Michael Mink. "The quality of play in the West is going to be phenomenal in 2010."
In-depth interviews with both Hans Deemer and Michael Mink will be featured in the next edition of This Week in the AIFA. The Internet radio program will be available for download through the AIFA's home site (www.aifaprofootball.com) and OurSports Central (www.oursportscentral.com).
American Indoor Football Association Stories from January 5, 2010
- AIFA Heads North To Alaska - AIFA
- Erie Professional Football Announces Community-Wide Naming Contest - Erie Explosion
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
