Indoor Football League facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Indoor Football League

Sport	Indoor American football
Founded	July 22, 2008 (17 years ago) (2008-07-22)
Inaugural season	2009
Commissioner	Todd Tryon
Claim to fame	America's longest continuously running indoor football league
No. of teams	14
Country	United States
Most recent champion(s)	Arizona Rattlers (2nd title)
Most titles	Sioux Falls Storm (7 titles)
TV partner(s)	CBS Sports Network
Streaming partner(s)	IFL Network

The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league in the United States. It has 14 teams, split evenly between the Eastern and Western Conferences. The IFL is the top professional indoor football league and has been running longer than any other in the U.S.

Each IFL season lasts 19 weeks, from mid-March to late July. Teams play 16 games and have three weeks off. After the regular season, four teams from each conference go to the playoffs. These playoffs are a single-elimination tournament, ending with the IFL National Championship in late August. The winners of the Eastern and Western Conference championship games play in this final game.

The IFL started in 2008. Two leagues, the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football, decided to join together. This happened after their champions played each other in the 2008 National Indoor Bowl. The IFL has kept the same name and structure since then. After the original Arena Football League closed in 2019, the IFL became the oldest active professional indoor football league in North America. Its history goes back to 2003.

The Sioux Falls Storm has won the most IFL championships, with seven titles. The current champions are the Arizona Rattlers.

IFL players earn between $250 and $500 per game before taxes. Players on the winning team get an extra $25 bonus each week. Some teams also help players with housing during the season. The IFL works with the United Football League (UFL). This means the IFL acts like a minor league for the UFL, helping players develop.

History of the IFL

How the League Started

The IFL was created when the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football merged. This was announced just before the 2008 National Indoor Bowl Championship. In that game, the Sioux Falls Storm (from United Indoor Football) beat the Louisiana Swashbucklers (from Intense Football League) 54–42.

The 2009 Season

Many teams from the two old leagues joined the new IFL for its first season in 2009. Some new teams also joined. In the United Bowl championship game, the Billings Outlaws won by defeating the RiverCity Rage 71–62.

The 2010s in the IFL

The 2010 Season

The IFL grew to 25 teams in 2010, adding new franchises. The Alaska Wild stopped playing partway through the season. The Billings Outlaws won the United Bowl again, beating the Sioux Falls Storm 43–34.

The 2011 Season

Seven new teams joined the IFL in 2011, while nine teams left. This brought the total to 22 teams. The Sioux Falls Storm won the United Bowl, defeating the Tri-Cities Fever 37–10.

The 2012 Season

The league had 16 teams in 2012. It changed to a two-conference system. Many Texas teams left to form a new league. Famous wide receiver Terrell Owens briefly played for the Allen Wranglers, which brought a lot of attention to the league.

The 2013 and 2014 Seasons

Some teams left the IFL for other leagues during these years. The league added the Bemidji Axemen in 2014, but another team left, keeping the IFL at nine teams. The league announced that a new team, the Billings Wolves, would join in 2015.

The 2015 and 2016 Seasons

The Iowa Barnstormers joined the IFL in 2015, moving from the Arena Football League (AFL). This was a big move for the IFL. In 2016, the Spokane Shock also left the AFL to join the IFL, becoming the Spokane Empire. New rules were put in place to limit how many experienced players each team could have.

The 2017 Season

The Tri-Cities Fever took a break for the 2017 season. Two new teams, the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles and Colorado Crush, joined with a unique idea: fans could help run the team. The Arizona Rattlers, another team from the AFL, joined the IFL.

The 2018 Season

Several teams, including the Colorado Crush and Salt Lake Screaming Eagles, left the league. The Sioux Falls Storm also briefly left but later returned to the IFL. The league faced some legal issues with teams moving between leagues. The Cedar Rapids Titans were sold and planned to rebrand.

The 2019 Season

The IFL grew to ten teams with new additions like the Tucson Sugar Skulls, Quad City Steamwheelers, Bismarck Bucks, and San Diego Strike Force. These new teams helped create more local rivalries and reduce travel costs for teams like the Arizona Rattlers.

The 2020s in the IFL

The 2020 Season

More teams joined in 2020, including the Duke City Gladiators and Oakland Panthers. The Spokane Shock also returned. The league had to cancel the rest of its 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 Season

The Massachusetts Pirates joined as the IFL's first East Coast team. The Northern Arizona Wranglers and Louisville Xtreme also joined. However, some teams, like the Oakland Panthers, took a break due to the pandemic. The Louisville Xtreme's membership was ended after only five games.

The Frisco Fighters played their first home game against the Duke City Gladiators in 2021.

The 2022 Season

The Vegas Knight Hawks joined the league, owned by the same person who owns the Vegas Golden Knights hockey team. The Spokane Shock left the league after losing their home arena.

The 2023 Season

The Tulsa Oilers joined the IFL. The Bay Area Panthers won the 2023 Championship, a big improvement after a tough season the year before. The Bismarck Bucks took a break for the season. The IFL also started a partnership with the XFL, acting as a minor league for them.

The 2024 Season

The league expanded to 16 teams, adding the Jacksonville Sharks and San Antonio Gunslingers. The Bismarck Bucks remained inactive. The IFL also introduced a theme song, "The Indoor War." A new team, the Fishers Freight, was announced for 2025 in Indianapolis.

The 2025 Season

The Duke City Gladiators and Frisco Fighters announced they would not play in 2025 but plan to return in 2026. The Sioux Falls Storm also announced they would sit out the 2025 season because their home arena did not renew their lease.

Teams

Current Teams

For the 2025 season, the league is divided into two conferences.

Map of Teams

Former Teams

Over the years, many teams have been part of the IFL. Some moved to other leagues, some stopped playing, and some were replaced by new teams. Here are a few examples of teams that were once in the IFL:

• Abilene Ruff Riders – Left the IFL after 2010.
• Alaska Wild – Stopped playing during the 2010 season.
• Billings Outlaws – The owner stopped the team in 2011.
• Bloomington Edge – Left the IFL in 2012, rejoined in 2018, but faced legal issues.
• Cedar Rapids Titans/River Kings – Played from 2012 to 2020.
• Nebraska Danger – Played from 2011 to 2019.
• Spokane Shock – Returned for the 2020 season but left again before 2022.
• Tri-Cities Fever – Took a break after the 2016 season.

League Timeline

IFL National Championship

The IFL Championship Game, once called the United Bowl, has been played every season since 2009. The Arizona Rattlers are the current IFL champions. They won the 2024 championship game in Las Vegas, defeating Massachusetts.

The "United Bowl" name came from United Indoor Football, one of the leagues that merged to form the IFL. That league held its own United Bowl games from 2005 to 2008. The Sioux Falls Storm won all four of those early games. The IFL used the "United Bowl" name until 2021. Starting in 2022, the championship game became the IFL National Championship. It is now played in Henderson, Nevada, at the Lee's Family Forum.

Media Coverage

The IFL has partnerships to show its games on TV and online. Since May 2021, Stadium has aired the "IFL Game of The Week" nationally. In 2023, the IFL made a deal with CBS Sports Network. This deal means the next three IFL National Championship games will be shown on CBS Sports Network. It also allows for other IFL games to be aired on the network.

In March 2025, the IFL launched IFL Network, its own streaming service. Fans can now watch all IFL games live online with a subscription. Before this, games were streamed for free on YouTube in 2024. Some teams also have their own local TV or radio deals.

IFL Hall of Fame

The Indoor Football League Hall of Fame honors players, coaches, and others who have made a big difference to the IFL. It started in 2014 with three people. Each year from 2014 to 2019, three people were added. In 2021, four people were inducted.

This Hall of Fame includes people who contributed to the IFL and the two leagues that merged to form it: United Indoor Football and Intense Football League. It does not include people from other indoor football leagues. There is no physical museum for the IFL Hall of Fame. Instead, the honored members are recognized online.

How to Get Nominated

To be considered for the IFL Hall of Fame, a person must have made important contributions to the league. There are no strict rules, but they need to have helped a team that played in the IFL, United Indoor Football, or Intense Football League.

Hall of Fame Game

Since 2021, the IFL has a Hall of Fame game at the start of each season. This game celebrates the new Hall of Fame members for that year. Before 2021, new members were honored during the championship game.

Hall of Fame Members

Awards

Most Valuable Player (MVP)

The Indoor Football League Most Valuable Player award is given each year to the player who was most valuable during the regular season. The award was first called the Adam Pringle Most Valuable Player award.

Key for the below tables

Symbol	Description
	Player elected to the IFL Hall of Fame

IFL Most Valuable Player award winners

Year	Winner	Team	Position	Ref.
2009	Chris Dixon	Billings Outlaws	Quarterback
2010	Bryan Randall	Richmond Revolution	Quarterback (2)
2011	Chris Dixon (2)	Sioux Falls Storm	Quarterback (3)
2012	Chris Dixon (3)	Sioux Falls Storm (2)	Quarterback (4)
2013	Jameel Sewell	Nebraska Danger	Quarterback (5)
2014	Willie Copeland	Colorado Crush	Quarterback (6)
2015	Jameel Sewell (2)	Nebraska Danger (2)	Quarterback (7)
2016	Charles McCullum	Wichita Falls Nighthawks	Quarterback (8)
2017	Charles McCullum (2)	Wichita Falls Nighthawks (2)	Quarterback (9)
2018	Drew Powell	Iowa Barnstormers	Quarterback (10)
2019	Daquan Neal	Iowa Barnstormers (2)	Quarterback (11)
2021	Drew Powell (2)	Arizona Rattlers	Quarterback (12)
2022	Drew Powell (3)	Arizona Rattlers (2)	Quarterback (13)
2023	T. J. Edwards	Frisco Fighters	Quarterback (14)
2024	Ja'Rome Johnson	Vegas Knight Hawks	Quarterback (15)

Offensive Player of the Year

This award goes to the best offensive player in the IFL each year. Chris Dixon has won it four times. Sam Castronova won the most recent award in 2024.

Coach of the Year

This award is given each year to the head coach who had the most outstanding season.

Key for the below tables

Symbol	Description
Winner (#)	Denotes number of times the coach has won the award
*	Team won IFL National Championship the same year the recipient won the award
	Coach elected to the IFL Hall of Fame

Franchise of the Year

This award is given each year to the team that had the best overall operations. This includes how they run game days, their media relations, and how well they played on the field.

Key for the below tables

Symbol	Description
*	Team won IFL National Championship
	Coach won IFL Coach of the Year Award

Images for kids

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  The Frisco Fighters played their inaugural home opener against the Duke City Gladiators during the 2021 season.