Supreme Indoor Football
Current season, competition or edition: 2017 Supreme Indoor Football season | |
 | |
| Sport | Indoor football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founder | Barbara Spigner (SIF) |
| CEO | Barbara Spigner |
| Country | United States |
| Related competitions |
Indoor Football League Champions Indoor Football National Arena League |
| Official website | SupremeIndoorFootball.com |
Supreme Indoor Football (SIF) is a proposed indoor football league.
The SIF was originally the creation of the Cape Fear Heroes ownership. During the league's initial launch in 2015, it was at one point to be part of the Indoor Football Alliance, which would have also included a revived Continental Indoor Football League and begun play in 2016. When the CIFL revival never materialized, and the league had difficulties in finding teams to join the league, the Heroes suspended operations, effectively suspending the league as well. The Heroes intend on making a second attempt at forming the league for launch in spring 2017.
History
The league's history began with two of its future teams having problems with the X-League. On May 31, 2015, the Cape Fear Heroes announced that they would be leaving the X-League entirely and operating independently the rest of the season while searching for a new league in 2016.[1] In the wake of such recent events, the Marion Blue Racers would follow suit in announcing their departure from the X-League.
On August 23, 2015, the Indoor Football Alliance of the new Supreme Indoor Football league (owned by Heroes owner Barbara Spigner) and the revived Continental Indoor Football League (owned by Saginaw Sting owner Jim O'Brien) was announced. The Heroes were the SIF's first team, while the Blue Racers, Sting and the Erie Explosion all announced their intentions on returning to the CIFL.[2] On November 4, 2015, the Saginaw Sting returned to American Indoor Football (AIF), leaving the IFA; the Blue Racers followed shortly after. With the departures of the Sting and Blue Racers, the Explosion were the lone CIFL representative in the Alliance. On the same day, the Heroes (still at that point alone as members of their league) held a press conference holding firm to their plans on launching Supreme Indoor Football, with a target of eight teams for its inaugural 2016 season.[3] On December 4, 2015, the league announced its first new team, the Kentucky Knights, a team that had originally been announced as a team in the Texas-based North American Indoor Football.[4]
The Heroes released their 2016 schedule on December 9, 2015; it included games against the Explosion, Knights, a team known as the "Maryland Big Red," Buffalo Lightning and Atlanta Sharks, the last two of which also jumped from AIF. The Lightning confirmed their participation in the Alliance on December 15.[5] On January 18, 2016, the Explosion announced they would not participate in a 2016 season[6] reducing alliance participants to three (Buffalo Lightning, Cape Fear Heroes, and Kentucky Knights).
On January 30, 2016, Supreme Indoor Football held a draft that included five teams, the previously mentioned three plus the ASI Panthers (formerly of AIF) and a team called "Western Pennsylvania" (presumably a last-minute replacement for the Explosion).[7] Shortly thereafter, the Heroes released a revised schedule, removing the Atlanta Sharks and adding an unnamed team from Lockport, New York (taking the place of one of the Explosion's home games, an away game was still listed as being against the Explosion)[8] and the IFA website added several previously unannounced teams (Cincinnati Bulldogs, Cleveland Saints, River City Raptors, and the Hamilton, Ontario-based Steel City Patriots of the outdoor Northern Football Conference). However, on March 3, 2016, league commissioner Barbara Spigner announced that the Cape Fear Heroes would sit out the 2016 season due to a number of factors, among them being financial support.[9] The Lightning and Bulldogs each played some games as independents in 2016, including one against each other (with the Bulldogs losing 45–0 to the Lightning). Three of the Bulldogs' games against teams in the AIF were counted as regular season games for their opponents. The Lightning only reported playing two games total for the season, the Bulldogs game and one against the Hamburg Hornets, a local outdoor semi-pro squad; the Lightning had scheduled four other home games but cancelled them due to inability to find opponents. The Panthers switched to an outdoor fall schedule, while the Patriots rebranded as the Niagara Spartans and planned to begin play in 2017 as a member of the Can-Am Indoor Football League. It is unclear whether the Raptors, Big Red or the Lockport team ever existed.
In August 2016, the league reactivated, this time as a solo league. Its members were listed as the Heroes, the South Carolina Ravens (a travel team affiliated with AIF in 2016), the Cap City Bulls of Austin, Texas, and the Coastal Outlaws of Savannah, Georgia. However, the Outlaws claimed to be part of a different league called United States Indoor Football and were eventually removed from the website in September.[10] Replacing the Outlaws in September, the SIF website added the Triangle Torch (formerly of the AIF) as one of its members, but there has yet to be a statement made by the SIF or the Torch on their new membership. On October 5, a team called the Louisiana Cottonmouths announced on their own Facebook that they have joined the SIF; the Cottonmouths were originally a 2016 expansion team in the AIF that failed to launch prior to their first season.[11]
The SIF held a press conference on October 28 officially announcing its return to organizing as a league with the management of the Heroes and the Torch. The SIF listed the Heroes, Torch, Bulls, Ravens, and Cottonmouths on their Facebook page. On November 5, the league added the Anderson Gladiators from the recently formed Arena Developmental League.[12] On November 14, the league partnered with the new regional league, Elite Indoor Football, to play a cross-league schedule for 2017. The EIF was founded by the Savannah Steam after the demise of the AIF and includes two other teams, the Carolina Cowboys and the Florida Tribe.
Teams
| Team | Location | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Gladiators | Anderson, South Carolina | Civic Center of Anderson | 5,100 | 2016 | 2017 | TBA |
| Cap City Bulls | Austin, Texas | — | — | 2016 | 2017 | Roger Viser[13] |
| Cape Fear Heroes | Fayetteville, North Carolina | Crown Coliseum | 10,000 | 2011 | 2017 | Michael Coleman |
| Louisiana Cottonmouths | Gonzales, Louisiana | Lamar Dixon Expo Center | 6,600 | 2015 | 2017 | TBA |
| South Carolina Ravens | North Charleston, South Carolina | North Charleston Coliseum | 10,537 | 2016 | 2017 | TBA |
| Triangle Torch | Raleigh, North Carolina | Dorton Arena | 5,110 | 2015 | 2017 | Chris McKinney |
References
- ↑ Sammy Batten (May 30, 2015). "Cape Fear Heroes leaving X-League". www.fayobserver.com. Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Supreme Indoor Football and Continental Indoor Football League Join Forces". OurSportsCentral. August 23, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ↑ http://www.fayobserver.com/sports/cape-fear-heroes-create-own-arena-football-league-for/article_2b8366a5-66a7-5b29-b6ed-72a9dacdfa5f.html?mode=jqm
- ↑ "Kentucky Knights Join Supreme Indoor Football". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. December 4, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Buffalo Lightning Bolts into Supreme Indoor Football". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
- ↑ "Erie Explosion Suspend 2016 Football Operations". Our Sports Central. January 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Supreme Indoor Football Draft USA College Football All-Americans". IFA. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
- ↑ http://www.capefearheroes.com/schedule/
- ↑ "Cape Fear Heroes to Sit out 2016 Season". OurSportsCentral. March 3, 2016.
- ↑ "Savannah could soon have Two Indoor Football Teams". WSAV-TV. August 17, 2016.
- ↑ "In Case You Missed It: Weekly Baseball, Basketball and Football Franchise Report". OurSports Central. October 12, 2016.
- ↑ "Weekly Sports League & Franchise Report". OurSports Central. November 7, 2016.
- ↑ "CCB News". Cap City Bulls. Retrieved November 21, 2016.