2018 Indoor Football League season explained

2018 IFL season
League:Indoor Football League
Sport:Indoor football
Duration:February 23, 2018 – June 16, 2018
No Of Teams:6
Finals Champ:Iowa Barnstormers
Finals Runner-Up:Sioux Falls Storm
Seasonslist:List of Indoor Football League seasons
Seasonslistnames:IFL
Prevseason Link:2017 Indoor Football League season
Prevseason Year:2017
Nextseason Link:2019 Indoor Football League season
Nextseason Year:2019

The 2018 Indoor Football League season was the tenth season of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The league played with six teams, after the suspension of operations of three teams, the departure of another two teams, and the addition and subsequent suspension of two teams.

The top four teams made the IFL playoffs with the semifinals consisting of the top seed hosting the fourth seed and the second hosting the third before the winners met in the 2018 United Bowl.

Offseason

Project Fanchise, the ownership of the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles that joined the IFL in 2017 and also bought the Colorado Crush during the season, announced that they would leave the IFL after one season.[1] For the 2018 season, the Arizona Rattlers, Cedar Rapids Titans, Green Bay Blizzard, Iowa Barnstormers, and Nebraska Danger had all committed to play.[2] However, the Spokane Empire had ceased operations at the close of the 2017 season.[3] The Sioux Falls Storm left the league for Champions Indoor Football on August 30, 2017,[4] with the Wichita Falls Nighthawks to follow soon after. On September 12, 2017, it was announced that the Bloomington Edge and West Michigan Ironmen had joined the IFL for the 2018 season.[5]

The CIF then attempted to sue the IFL, Edge, and Ironmen for leaving the CIF after the two teams had already signed league affiliation agreements with the CIF for 2018. The IFL then threatened to sue the CIF, Storm, and Nighthawks in return despite neither former IFL team signing an affiliation agreement with the IFL for 2018.[6] The CIF then retracted their lawsuit with the IFL but also removed the Storm and Nighthawks from their 2018 schedule.[7] After the IFL meetings in October 2017, the Storm returned to the IFL[8] but the Nighthawks had to suspend operations.[9] While the CIF did drop the lawsuit against the IFL, it filed for an injunction against the Edge and Ironmen teams from participating in the IFL for breaking the terms of their signed affiliation agreements. A temporary injunction from participation was granted on January 31, 2018, with the court ruling determining that both teams had been offered bribes from the owner of the Arizona Rattlers to break their contracts with the CIF.[10] [11] The schedule was revised in February for the six participating teams stating the Edge and Ironmen were to return in 2019.[12]

Teams

TeamLocationArenaCapacityFoundedJoinedHead coach
Arizona RattlersTalking Stick Resort Arena15,50519922017Kevin Guy
Cedar Rapids TitansCedar Rapids, IowaU.S. Cellular Center6,90020122012Marvin Jones
Green Bay BlizzardGreen Bay, WisconsinResch Center8,60020032010Chris Williams (until March 29)
Corey Roberson (interim)
Iowa BarnstormersDes Moines, IowaWells Fargo Arena15,18119952015Dixie Wooten
Nebraska DangerGrand Island, NebraskaEihusen Arena6,00020112011Mark Stoute (until May 20)
Adam Shackleford/Pig Brown (interim co-coaches)
Sioux Falls StormSioux Falls, South DakotaDenny Sanford Premier Center10,67820002009Kurtiss Riggs

Season awards

Award Winner Position Team
Most Valuable Player[13] Drew Powell Iowa Barnstormers
Offensive Player of the Year[14] Darrell Monroe Arizona Rattlers
Defensive Player of the Year Bryce Enyard Iowa Barnstormers
Special Teams Player of the Year B.J. Hill Green Bay Blizzard
Offensive Rookie of the Year[15] Jeff Ziemba Quarterback Arizona Rattlers
Defensive Rookie of the Year Ricarlo Bell Cedar Rapids Titans
Coach of the Year Dixie Wooten Iowa Barnstormers

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Weekly Sports League & Franchise Report. OurSports Central. 24 April 2017 . 2017-08-13.
  2. Web site: IFL Plans for 2018 Season - Indoor Football League. goifl.com. 2017-08-13. 2017-07-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20170729093830/http://goifl.com/sports/fball/2016-17/releases/20170725k72l6f. dead.
  3. Web site: Spokane Empire to cease operations and will not play football in - Spokane, North Idaho News & Weather KHQ.com. Brad Hegland. khq.com. 2017-07-12. 2017-08-13.
  4. Web site: Storm Announce Move to CIF . . August 30, 2017 . August 30, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170830235108/http://gocif.net/news-h/918-storm-announce-move-to-cif.html . August 30, 2017 . dead . mdy-all .
  5. Web site: IFL Announces Addition of Bloomington & West Michigan . goifl.com . September 12, 2017 . September 19, 2017 . September 20, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170920015848/http://www.goifl.com/sports/fball/2016-17/releases/20170912rbu19k . dead .
  6. Web site: Tryon addresses legal aspect of switching leagues . . October 5, 2017 . February 6, 2018 . October 8, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171008080024/http://kwsn.com/news/articles/2017/oct/06/tryon-addresses-legal-aspect-of-switching-leagues/ . dead .
  7. Web site: CIF Commissioner Issues State of the League Address . Salina Scoop . October 4, 2017 . February 6, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171005204252/http://salinascoop.com/cif-commissioner-issues-state-of-the-league-address/ . October 5, 2017 . dead .
  8. Web site: LETTER FROM TODD TRYON . Sioux Falls Storm . October 4, 2017 . October 5, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171005051745/http://siouxfallsstorm.com/letter-from-todd-tryon.html . October 5, 2017 . dead .
  9. Web site: Nighthawks suspend operations for 2018 . . October 16, 2017.
  10. Web site: TEMPORARY INJUNCTION BARS RENEGADE TEAMS FROM LEAVING C.P.I.F.L. . . January 31, 2018.
  11. Web site: Ironmen will be independent in 2018, due to ruling that leaves them without a league . Local Sports Journal . February 6, 2018.
  12. Web site: IFL Revises 2018 Regular Season Schedule . IFL . February 6, 2018 . February 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180207122458/http://goifl.com/sports/fball/2017-18/releases/20180206o820wo . dead .
  13. Web site: 2018 IFL MVP and Coach of the Year Announced. 5 July 2018. 8 July 2018. 8 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180708075050/http://goifl.com/sports/fball/2017-18/releases/20180705kjq8uw. dead.
  14. Web site: 2018 Players of the Year Announced. 3 July 2018. 8 July 2018. 8 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180708103949/http://goifl.com/sports/fball/2017-18/releases/20180703os63md. dead.
  15. Web site: 2018 IFL Rookies of the Year Announced. 3 July 2018. 8 July 2018. 8 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180708075526/http://goifl.com/sports/fball/2017-18/releases/20180703kusn44. dead.