Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
April 30, 2012 - Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL)


BASEBALL

North American League: The owner of the Yuma (AZ) Panthers in the independent NAL has cited the instability of the league's Northern Division as the reason for pulling the team out of the NAL for its upcoming 2012 season. This ownership group took control of the league's Yuma Scorpions franchise in January 2012 and renamed the team the Yuma Panthers. The group also controls the league's Fullerton-based Orange County (CA) Flyers franchise, so the future of that team for 2012 is also uncertain. With the departure of Yuma and possibly Fullerton, the NAL Northern Division would have only two remaining teams-the Maui Na Koa Ikaika and the expansion San Rafael (CA) Pacifics. The NAL also has a Southern Division with six Texas-based teams, but that division operates under separate ownership and was not scheduled to play Northern Division teams in 2012.

Atlantic Baseball League: The ABL has started its 2012 season with eight teams aligned into two, four-team divisions. The Freedom Division includes the Lancaster (PA) Barnstormers, Somerset (NJ) Patriots, York (PA) Revolution, and the expansion Sugar Land (TX) Skeeters. The Liberty Division has the Bridgeport (CT) Bluefish, Camden (NJ) Riversharks, Long Island (NY) Ducks, and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (Charles County). The only change in the league alignment was the expansion Sugar Land Skeeters team replacing the league's Road Warriors travel team in the Freedom Division for 2012.

New York State League: Due to renovations to its home field in the New York City area, the developmental NYSL will not operate during the summer of 2012. Instead, the NYSL will operate a team called the New York Federals, which will play a 24-game season in June as part of a Texas-based developmental league similar to the NYSL. The NYSL plans to return to the New York City area in 2013.

Northwoods League: There is an effort underway to try to bring a summer-collegiate NWL team to Blaine (MN) in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area..

BASKETBALL

International Basketball League: The IBL standings now have the eight full-schedule teams aligned into two conferences. The International Conference includes the Bellingham (WA) Slam, Edmonton Energy, Olympia (WA) Reign, and the Nippon Tornadoes travel team from Japan. The Continental Conference has the Orlando (FL) Venom, Portland (OR) Chinooks, Salem (OR) Soldiers, and Vancouver (WA) Volcanoes. The IBL has a Branding Conference for short-schedule teams called the New Jersey G-Force, Yamhill (OR) Highflyers, and a yet-to-be-named Los Angeles team.

American Basketball Association: The ABA has announced a team called the Long Beach Rockets will be part of the SoCal Division in the 2012-13 ABA season. The operators of the Long Beach Rockets currently run a team by the same name in the 2012 spring-summer West Coast Basketball League.

Tobacco Road Basketball League: A sports promotion and management company in Asheville (NC) is seeking investors for a potential 2013 expansion team in the TRBL.

National Basketball League of Canada: An ownership group with rights to an NBL-Canada expansion franchise has met with officials of the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton (Ontario). The group is also considering Brampton (Ontario) as a possible location for the expansion franchise.

FOOTBALL

Lone Star Football League: The indoor LSFL plans to hold its inaugural 2012 championship game in San Angelo (TX), which will also be the home of a new 2013 LSFL franchise. The current owner of the league's Amarillo Venom franchise plans to sell that team and restart a San Angelo team. A team called the San Angelo Stampede-Express last played in the 2010 season of the Indoor Football League, sat out the 2011 season, eventually switched to the LSFL and also sat out the 2012 season. A name-the-team contest will be held for the new San Angelo team, although it could keep the Stampede-Express nickname.

United Indoor Football League: The UIFL has had to step in to run the Tupelo-based Mississippi Hound Dogs franchise for the remainder of the season. The team will not play its two remaining scheduled home games, but the league will try to make sure the team plays its remaining road schedule.

HOCKEY

North American Hockey League: The sale of the Alaska Avalanche (Palmer) in the Tier II junior-level NAHL has been completed and the new ownership will move the team to Johnstown (PA) for the 2012-13 season. This team started out as the St. Louis Sting in 1996 and moved to become the Springfield (MO) Spirit for the 2001-02 season. The team moved to Wasilla (AK) for 2005-06 as the Wasilla Spirit. The team was renamed the Alaska Avalanche the following season and moved to Palmer (AK) for the 2010-11 season. The league's new Brookings (SD) team, which is relocating from Alexandria (MN), will keep the same nickname and will be called the Brookings Blizzard when its starts play in the 2012-13 season.

American Hockey League: Lawsuits over financing could threaten progress on a new Allentown (PA) arena, which is eventually supposed to become the home of the AHL's Adirondack Phantoms franchise.

Federal Hockey League: The city of Watertown (NY) plans to restart negotiations with the Thousand Island Privateers about a possible move of the FHL team from nearby Alexandria Bay (NY) for the 2012-13 season. The owner of the Privateers was also considering moving out of the region for next season.

Western States Hockey League: The Tulsa Oilers of the minor professional Central Hockey League have announced the formation of a Tulsa Oilers junior hockey team that will be part of the junior-level WSHL for its 2012-13 season. The WSHL had previous Tulsa-based teams called the Tulsa Bazooka Blues for two seasons (2004-06) and the Tulsa Rampage for six seasons (2006-11). The Rampage moved to become the Cheyenne (WY) Stampede for the 2011-12 season.

National Hockey League: The city of Markam in the Greater Toronto Area appears ready to approve support for a new 20,000-seat arena, which has led to speculation a second Toronto-based NHL franchise could eventually move there.

Greater Metro Junior Hockey League: The Deseronto Storm and the Elliot Lake Bobcats of the GMHL, which is not sanctioned by Hockey Canada, have left the league for the 2012-13 season. The Storm is moving to the Empire Junior C Hockey League, while the Bobcats are moving to the junior-A Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.

SOCCER

Professional Arena Soccer League: A new indoor soccer team called the Dallas Sidekicks is expected to announce next week that it will join the PASL for the 2012-13 season. The team will be based in Allen (TX). A former indoor team called the Dallas Sidekicks played in several indoor soccer leagues from 1984 to 2004.

United Soccer Leagues - Major Indoor Soccer League: The Sears Centre in Chicago is reportedly in negotiations with a proposed MISL team called the Chicago Kick. The Kick tried, but was unable to play in the 2011-12 MISL season.

Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League: Although the CMISL did not hold a regular-season schedule in 2012, the league's two remaining teams-the Edmonton Drillers and Calgary United FC-held a one-game championship match last week to determine a Canadian indoor team to represent the country at the next North American indoor championship sponsored by FIFRA, the international governing body for arena soccer. The CMISL hopes to return for a 2012-13 season with five teams, possibly adding teams in Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Saskatoon.

Mexican Premier Division: The 18 teams in Mexico's top Premier Division (First Division) have voted to create a new league that is autonomous from the Federacion Mexicana de Futbol (FMF), which is the governing body for Mexican soccer. The new league could also expand to 20 teams for next season.

OTHER

Major League Lacrosse: The outdoor MLL has started its twelfth season that will include eight teams for 2012. The new Columbus-based Ohio Machine and Charlotte (NC) Hounds will join the six returning teams from last season-the Hamilton Nationals, Long Island Lizards, Rochester Rattlers, Boston Cannons, Chesapeake Bayhawks (Annapolis, MD), and Denver Outlaws. All eight teams will be aligned in one table for the 2012 season.

Professional Lacrosse League: The new indoor PLL plans to start play in September with four teams that broke away from the North American Lacrosse League (NALL) to form a new fall league. The NALL moved forward to play a short winter season from January to early April 2012. The PLL will include the Jacksonville Bullies, Charlotte Copperheads, Pennsylvania Haymakers, and Pennsylvania Shamrocks. The actual locations of the Pennsylvania teams will be announced later. A team called the Haymakers was originally planned for Hershey (PA) as part of the NALL, while the Shamrocks were planned for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (PA) as part of the NALL.

Dan Krieger is the creator of the "leagueology almanac" known as "Leagues, Teams & Nicknames", which tracks the changes in league alignments, franchise movements and team nicknames in today's sports world. The latest 2010-11 edition is available at http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/leagues-teams-nicknames-the-leagueology-almanac-2010-11/15228513. Dan can be contacted at dankrieger@leaguesteamsnicknames.com.



Ultimate Indoor Football League Stories from April 30, 2012


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