AIFL Training Camps Begin
February 8, 2006 - American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) News Release
American Indoor Football League training camps begin Wednesday and no one is more eager to start than Erie Freeze quarterback David Dinkins.
He returns as the league's Most Valuable Player, but you're only as good as your last game, and Dinkins had an off night in the Freeze's loss to the Richmond Bandits in the league's inaugural championship game.
"It's the whole reason I'm here,'' said Dinkins. "I threw five interceptions the whole season and had more than that in one game. That's on me. I have a lot to prove." So do players for the other ten teams that open practice to determine who makes their respective 23-man rosters and prepare for the season openers the weekend of Feb. 25.
Six of the league's 16 teams - the Augusta (Ga.) Spartans, the Miami Valley (Troy, Ohio) Silverbacks, the Huntington (W.V.) Heroes , the Syracuse (N.Y.) Soldiers, the Florence (S.C.) Phantoms and the Johnstown (Pa.) Riverhawks are idle for the week of the 14-game regular season and will not begin their training camps until Feb. 15.
The Richmond Bandits return as defending champions, but Head Coach Brent Williams isn't resting on any laurels.
"Once we get through the first day of practice, that's the last we talk about 2005," Williams said. "Last year was a great experience, but 2005 doesn't have any importance in 2006."
The six inaugural season teams - the Bandits, Freeze, Riverhawks, the Canton (Ohio) Legends, the Raleigh (N.C) Rebels and the Carolina (Asheville, N.C) Ghostriders, all return for year two. The Rebels and Ghostriders were traveling teams last year but have now settled into their respective homes.
Ten new teams have joined the league, including the Rome (Ga.) Renegades, who advanced to the National Indoor Football League championship game in 2005 but have since jumped to the AIFL.
One preseason game will take place - the Chattahoochee Valley (Columbus, Ga.) will host the Renegades on Friday, Feb. 17. For daily updates from the respective training camps, visit the AIFL's official web site at http://www.americanindoorfootballleague.com
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American Indoor Football Association Stories from February 8, 2006
- Thunder training camp report - Daytona Beach Thunder
- Heroes open camp - Huntington Heroes
- Renegades Start Training Camp Today - Rome Renegades
- AIFL Training Camps Begin - AIFA
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