Indoor Football This Week
by Danny Burnham
July 31, 2009 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Two indoor football leagues completed their season this week, while a third is set for conference championship showdowns on Saturday. We'll take it from the top in chronological order.
The AIFA wound things down on Sunday night with their championship featuring the Wyoming Cavalry and the Reading Express. Reading handed Wyoming a 65-42 defeat in their own arena, earning their first championship. Wyoming found themselves on the short end of the title game for the second consecutive year, coming up short to the Florence Phantoms last year. Reading had also been in the big show before, dropping a decision to the Lakeland Thunderbolts in the inaugural AIFA championship game. With the win, Reading shed the label of "unable to win the big one" after winning their division four years in a row only to lose in the post season.
The rumor mill is already in full force around the AIFA. At the top of a long list, another possible TV deal. Also, who will own Canton and whether or not they may jump to the CIFL. And which south and west teams will either switch leagues, or no longer exist. The good news is, Wenatchee, Wa. , Harrisburg, Pa., and Richmond, Va., and Trenton, NJ will join the fold to pick up any slack that may be left.
The first year SIFL saw a dynasty solidified as the Louisiana Swashbucklers wrapped up a third consecutive championship (two while in the Intense Football League) with a victory over the Austin Turfcats 59-38 Monday night. An expansion team in its first season, Austin gave the champions all they wanted in a game that was much closer than the score. Louisiana became the second team to appear in a championship game in two different leagues, and the first to win in both.
The SIFL also finished their league meetings on Thursday, so expect a ton of news out of that camp soon. Expansion, and new criteria for owners, were among the topics discussed at the meetings.
The Indoor Football League will decide their conference champions on Saturday, as El Paso visits Billings in the Intense Conference finals, while River City will meet Wichita to decide the United conference crown. River City and Wichita both finished in third place in their respective divisions, but now find themselves one step away from the game for all the marbles.
Indoor Football League Stories from July 31, 2009
- Stage Is Set, El Paso vs. Billings For Intense Conference Championship - El Paso Generals
- Indoor Football This Week - OSC Original by Danny Burnham
- Wild and Rage to Battle for Conference Title on Saturday - Wichita Wild
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