Buffalo Blitz
 |
|
| Founded | 2014 |
|---|---|
| League |
AIF (2015) CanAm (2017) |
| Team history | Buffalo Lightning (2015–16) Buffalo Blitz (2017–present) |
| Based in | Buffalo, New York |
| Arena | RiverWorks |
| Colors | Navy, Gold, White |
| Owner(s) | John Augustine Bob Guenther |
| Head coach | Doby Howard |
| Championships | (0) |
| Conference titles | (0) |
| Playoff berths | (0) |
| Website | BuffaloBlitzIndoorFootball.com |
The Buffalo Blitz is a professional indoor football team based in Buffalo, New York. The Blitz are members of the Can-Am Indoor Football League. The club was established in 2014 as the Buffalo Lightning, an expansion team in American Indoor Football for the 2015 season.
In April 2014, it was announced that American Indoor Football would be coming to the Buffalo, New York, market. John Augustine, a longtime figure associated with the semi-professional Buffalo Gladiators of the Northeastern Football Alliance, is leading the Lightning (the team was initially identified as the “Gladiators” in the earliest mentions, but that team name was removed and eventually replaced by Lightning well before the 2015 season). On March 2, 2015, the team announced that the Cattaraugus Community Center, a Seneca Nation-owned facility primarily used for box lacrosse and located on the Cattaraugus Reservation in Irving, New York, 30 miles south of Buffalo, would be their home venue for the 2015 season.
The Lightning jumped to the Supreme Indoor Football for the 2016 season, however, the league abruptly broke down in winter 2016 before it began play. The Lightning still intended on playing a 2016 season independent of a league against teams assembled as the year progressed. The Lightning's season began April 30, 2016.
Some time after the 2016 season, the team's webmaster lost contact with the team after failing to get payment for his services and left a disparaging (and misspelled) manifesto mocking the team's management on their Web site. In late November, the webmaster received his payment, the manifesto was removed, and the team announced that, despite financial losses, the team would play a 2017 season.
The team indicated they would not return to the Cattaraugus Community Center, instead securing a "better" arena. In November 2016, the Can-Am Indoor Football League confirmed that the Lightning would be members of their league and that their new "arena" would be the outdoor RiverWorks facility in the city of Buffalo. The team later announced it would be known as the Buffalo Blitz. Augustine and co-owner Bob Guenther plan on investing $75,000 to build a 2,500-seat temporary stadium at RiverWorks, with seating and fresh artificial turf.
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