American_Indoor_Football_Alliance
American Indoor Football Alliance
American sports league
The American Indoor Football Alliance (AIFA) was a minor-professional American indoor football league based in the United States.[1]
| Sport | Indoor football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2021; 3 years ago (2021) |
| First season | 2022 |
| Ceased | 2023; 1 year ago (2023) |
| No. of teams | 7 |
| Country | United States |
| Last champion(s) | Columbus Lions (2023) |
| Official website | www |
Teams' typical operating budget was $500,000 with a $90,000 payroll budget per season. Players were paid up to $200 per game, with a $25 bonus for participating in charity events within their local communities. Most teams offered players housing during the season.[2]
After the 2021 American Arena League season concluded, four members of the East Division (Carolina Predators, Tampa Bay Tornadoes, Pennsylvania Union and Mississippi Raiders) announced that they would leave the AAL to form a new league, after league president and commissioner Tony Zefiretto had sold the league to the ownership.[3]
The league played its first season in 2022, while the Mississippi Raiders defeat the Las Vegas Kings 55–12 to claim the Inaugural AIFA Championship.[4][5][6]
For the 2023 season, AIFA had a inter-league scheduling agreement with the American West Football Conference.[7][8] The Columbus Lions won the league championship after completing an undefeated season and beating Mississippi Raiders 55 to 10 in AIFA Championship.[9][10][11]
In late 2023 most of the teams left to join different leagues and the AIFA website was shutdown.
Teams that participated or were listed as members in the 2023 season.
| Team | Home city | Home venue | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head coach | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Predators[12] | Fayetteville, North Carolina | TBD | TBD | 2018 | 2021 | AAL2 | |
| Columbus Lions[13] | Columbus, Georgia | Columbus Civic Center | 7,573 | 2007 | 2022 | Chris McKinney | AIF |
| Capital City Cyclones | Tallahassee, Florida | Traveling team | TBD | 2019 | 2021 | Stevie Thomas | IFA |
| Las Vegas Kings | Las Vegas, Nevada | Las Vegas Sports Park | 2021 | 2021 | Chris Wallace | IFA | |
| Mississippi Raiders[14] | Jackson, Mississippi | Mississippi Coliseum | 6,500 | 2019 | 2021 | Montra Edwards | AIF |
| South Florida Thunder | Palm Beach, Florida | TBD | TBD | 2019[15] | 2022 | TBD | |
| Dallas Falcons | Dallas, Texas | Traveling team[16] | 2022 | 2023 | Bryan Kensky | AAL2 |
Former teams
- Pennsylvania Union (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) — Was part of the original teams joined from the AAL, but then was not included in 2022 alignment.
- St. Charles Bandits (St. Charles, Missouri) — Joined from the AAL for the 2022 season, but never played a game.[17]
- Texas Pride (Garland, Texas) - Was part of the announced teams of the crossover games with the American West Football Conference (AWFC) for the 2023 season, but then was not included in the league standings.[18]
- Columbus Lions - Joined from the National Arena League for the 2023 season,[19] but left for the American Indoor Football after winning the league championship.[20]
- Carolina Predators (Fayetteville, North Carolina) - Joined from the AAL for the 2022 season,[21] but left after the 2023 season for the American Arena League 2.[22]
- Mississippi Raiders (Jackson, Mississippi) - Won the Inaugural AIFA Championship in 2022[23] and played in the 2023 finals before leaving for the American Indoor Football league for the 2024 season.
- Dallas Falcons (Dallas, Texas) - Joined for the 2023 season as a traveling team,[24] but would leave for the American Arena League 2 for the 2024 season.[25]
- Las Vegas Kings (Las Vegas, Nevada) - Played in the inaugural AIFA Championship in 2022, but the owner decided to moved the team after the conclusion of the 2023 season to the International Football Alliance.[26]
- Capital City Cyclones (Tallahassee, Florida) - Joined from the AAL as the Tampa Bay Tornadoes,[27] and later was rebranded as the Cyclones prior to the 2022 season.[28][29] Left after the 2023 season to join the International Football Alliance.[30]
- "Home – American Indoor Football Alliance". www.goaifa.com. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
- "AIFA Expansion Packet" (PDF).
- "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report". oursportscentral.com. July 12, 2021.
- "Mississippi Raiders are now AIFA National Champions". Vicksburg Daily News. July 10, 2022.
- Bowker, Ernest (July 8, 2022). "Vicksburg coach Muhammad chasing a championship with Mississippi Raiders". Vicksburg Post.
- "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report". December 26, 2022.
- "Lions defeat Raiders 55 to 10 in AIFA Championship". American Indoor Football Alliance.
- "AIFA Champioinship Part1". youtube.com.
- "AIFA Champioinship Part 2". youtube.com.
- "LIONS JOIN REGIONAL ARENA LEAGUE". National Arena League. December 23, 2022.
- "Mississippi Raiders bringing arena football back to Jackson". November 4, 2021.
- "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report". October 3, 2022.
- "Lions Join Regional Arena League - Columbus Lions". Columbus Lions. December 23, 2022.
- "COLUMBUS LIONS JOIN AMERICAN INDOOR FOOTBALL (AIF) FOR THE 2024 INDOOR SEASON". aif-proindoorfootball.com. American Indoor Football. August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- "Mississippi Raiders bringing arena football back to Jackson". November 4, 2021.
- "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report". OurSports Central. September 4, 2023.
- "TAMPA BAY TORNADOES JOINS THE AIFA!". goaifa.com. July 5, 2021. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021.
- "TAMPA BAY CYCLONES JOINS THE AIFA!". AIFA. July 5, 2021. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- "AIFA teams". AIFA. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- "Meet The Teams". International Football Alliance.
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