2020 IFL season
LeagueIndoor Football League
SportIndoor football
DurationScheduled
March 7 – July 25
Number of teams13
IFL seasons

The 2020 Indoor Football League season was the twelfth season of the Indoor Football League (IFL) and the first season of being the top indoor football league, after the folding of the Arena Football League. The league was set to play the season with thirteen teams, up from ten the previous season, by adding three expansion teams, one team from Champions Indoor Football, and one team folding.

After playing two games, the season was initially postponed on March 12 due to social distancing measures closing venues during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] On April 13, the league cancelled the rest of the season due to the uncertainty that they would be able to play in any venues in the near future.[2]

Offseason

On August 20, 2019, the Duke City Gladiators joined the IFL after winning back-to-back CIF championships.[3] On September 10, the Oakland Panthers, co-owned by NFL running back Marshawn Lynch, joined the IFL for the 2020 season.[4] On November 1, the league added the Spokane Shock after it was resurrected by former NFL player Sam Adams, with the Spokane team reacquiring the Shock brand following the Spokane Empire's folding in 2017.[5][6] The Bosselman family were looking to sell the Nebraska Danger,[7] but no owner was found before the deadline for participating in the 2020 season. On November 24, 2019, the IFL added a thirteenth team in Frisco, Texas, owned by the Germain family called the Frisco Fighters.[8] The Germain family also purchased the sponsorship rights for the IFL, the management rights of the league's communications and marketing department, as well as a second expansion for the 2021 season in Columbus, Ohio.[9][10]

Teams

Team Location Arena Capacity Founded Joined Head coach
Arizona Rattlers Glendale, Arizona Gila River Arena[11] 17,125 1992 2017 Kevin Guy
Bismarck Bucks Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck Event Center 10,100 2017 2019 Rod Miller
Cedar Rapids River Kings Cedar Rapids, Iowa U.S. Cellular Center 5,700 2011 2012 Victor Mann
Duke City Gladiators Albuquerque, New Mexico Tingley Coliseum 9,286 2015 2020 Pig Brown
Frisco Fighters Frisco, Texas Comerica Center 3,500 2019 2020 Clint Dolezel
Green Bay Blizzard Green Bay, Wisconsin Resch Center 8,600 2003 2010 Corey Roberson
Iowa Barnstormers Des Moines, Iowa Wells Fargo Arena 15,181 1995 2015 Ameer Ismail
Oakland Panthers Oakland, California Oakland Arena 19,596 2019 2020 Kurt Bryan
Quad City Steamwheelers Moline, Illinois TaxSlayer Center 9,200 2017 2019 Cory Ross
San Diego Strike Force San Diego, California Pechanga Arena 12,000 2018 2019 Burt Grossman
Sioux Falls Storm Sioux Falls, South Dakota Denny Sanford Premier Center 10,678 2000 2009 Kurtiss Riggs
Spokane Shock Spokane, Washington Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena 10,771 2006 2020 Billy Back
Tucson Sugar Skulls Tucson, Arizona Tucson Convention Center 8,962 2018 2019 Dixie Wooten

Standings

The season began on March 7, 2020, and the league played two games before postponing the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 Indoor Football League
W L PCT PF PA GB
Quad City Steamwheelers 1 0 1.000 54 39 —
San Diego Strike Force 1 0 1.000 50 36 —
Arizona Rattlers 0 0 – 0 0 0.5
Duke City Gladiators 0 0 – 0 0 0.5
Frisco Fighters 0 0 – 0 0 0.5
Green Bay Blizzard 0 0 – 0 0 0.5
Iowa Barnstormers 0 0 – 0 0 0.5
Oakland Panthers 0 0 – 0 0 0.5
Sioux Falls Storm 0 0 – 0 0 0.5
Spokane Shock 0 0 – 0 0 0.5
Tucson Sugar Skulls 0 0 – 0 0 0.5
Bismarck Bucks 0 1 .000 36 50 1
Cedar Rapids River Kings 0 1 .000 39 54 1

y – clinched regular season title

x – clinched playoff spot

Last updated: March 18, 2020

Playoffs

The top eight teams would have made the IFL playoffs, with the quarterfinals consisting of the top seed hosting the eighth seed, the second seed hosting the seventh seed, the third seed hosting the sixth seed, and the fourth hosting the fifth seed. In the semifinals, the highest remaining seed would host the lower remaining seed and the next-highest hosts the next-lowest from the quarterfinals. The semifinal winners were to meet in the 2020 United Bowl on the weekend of July 25.[12]

References

  1. ^ "IFL To Postpone Games". IFL. March 12, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "IFL Cancels Remaining 2020 Games". IFL. April 13, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "Duke City Gladiators Join IFL". Indoor Football League. August 20, 2019. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  4. ^ "Oakland Panthers Join IFL". Indoor Football League. September 10, 2019. Archived from the original on January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  5. ^ "'We will be playing in 2020': Team officials formally announce Spokane Shock's return to the IFL". KXLY. November 2, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  6. ^ "Spokane Shock Join IFL". Indoor Football League. November 1, 2019. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  7. ^ "Nebraska Danger's future uncertain with talk of sale". Nebraska.TV. July 16, 2019.
  8. ^ "IFL Adds Team In Frisco, TX". Indoor Football League. November 24, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "New indoor football team coming to Columbus in 2021". NBC4 WCMH-TV. December 12, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  10. ^ Osborne, Stuart (December 12, 2019). "Indoor Football League coming to Columbus in 2021". WSYX. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  11. ^ Obert, Richard (July 29, 2019). "Arizona Rattlers will play at Gila River Arena in 2020, possibly 2021". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  12. ^ "2020 IFL Schedule Announced". Indoor Football League. November 26, 2019. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
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