Southern Indoor Football League
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Most recent season or competition: 2011 SIFL season |
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| Sport | Indoor football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founder | Thom Hager |
| Inaugural season | 2009 |
| CEO | Thom Hager |
| Country | United States |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Albany Panthers |
| Related competitions |
American Indoor Football Association |
| Official website | SouthernIFL.com |
The Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) was an indoor football league based in the Southern and Eastern United States. The most recent incarnation of the league was a consolidation of an earlier league of the same name that was formed by Thom Hager along with Dan Blum, Robert Winfrey and Dan Ryan in 2009 and the American Indoor Football Association, which traces its roots to the founding of the Atlantic Indoor Football League in 2005. The SIFL broke up into three regional leagues after the 2011 season.
Based in Texas and Louisiana, it had five teams for its inaugural season. The Acadiana Mudbugs, Austin Turfcats, Houma Conquerors, Texas Hurricanes, and Louisiana Swashbucklers are the teams that comprised the first season. The 2009 SIFL staff included Commissioner Dan Blum, Director of Operations Robert Winfrey, Director of Communications Dan Ryan, Director of Quality Control Bryan Shoemaker and Director of Creative Services Scott Blanchard. The first round of the playoffs had #1 Louisiana defeating #4 Houma, and #2 Austin defeating #3 Acadiana. The inaugural SIFL season concluded with the President's Cup Championship Game which saw the Louisiana Swashbucklers defeat the Austin Turfcats 59-38.
The second season of the SIFL played with five teams. The loss of the Austin Turfcats, Houma Conquerors, and Texas Hurricanes were countered with the addition of the Albany Panthers, Columbus Lions, and Greenville Force. The Lafayette Wildcatters, who changed its name from the Acadiana Mudbugs, and the Louisiana Swashbucklers returned for the 2010 season. The 2010 SIFL staff included Commissioner Dan Blum, Director of Operations Robert Winfrey, Director of Communications Matthew Hester,and Director of Quality Control Bryan Shoemaker.
After the 2010 season, the Greenville Force was dropped from the SIFL. With the exit of the Force, the SIFL added the Alabama Hammers, Houston Stallions, Mobile Bay Tarpons, Rio Grande Valley Magic, and Trenton Steel for the 2011 season. At the same time, the Abilene Ruff Riders and Corpus Christi Hammerheads made the move to the SIFL from the IFL. Gary Tufford (Known as the League Killer) took over the reins of the league as Commissioner and over extended the SIFL into the 16 team league that would compete in the 2011 season.
On November 9, 2010, the SIFL announced its merger with the East Division of the American Indoor Football Association, adding the Carolina Speed, Erie Explosion, Harrisburg Stampede, and Richmond Raiders. It was thought that the Fayetteville Guard would also move to the SIFL but another sports marketing group from Fayetteville announced it would field a new team from the Fayetteville market independent to the Guard. This brought the league total to 16 clubs. In March 2011 it was reported that sports management company Fanteractive was acquiring the league (as well as owning the Trenton and Fayetteville teams), with plans to make it "interactive" by giving fans a voice in team decisions.
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