American sports league
American Indoor Football Alliance |
| Sport | Indoor football |
|---|
| Founded | 2021; 3 years ago (2021) |
|---|
| Inaugural season | 2022 |
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| Ceased | 2023; 1 year ago (2023) |
|---|
| No. of teams | 7 |
|---|
| Country | United States |
|---|
Last
champion(s) | Columbus Lions (2023) |
|---|
| Official website | www.goaifa.com |
|---|
The American Indoor Football Alliance (AIFA) was a minor-professional American indoor football league based in the United States.[1]
Teams' typical operating budget was $500,000 with a $90,000 payroll budget per season. Players were paid up to $200 per game, with a $25 bonus for participating in charity events within their local communities. Most teams offered players housing during the season.[2]
History
After the 2021 American Arena League season concluded, four members of the East Division (Carolina Predators, Tampa Bay Tornadoes, Pennsylvania Union and Mississippi Raiders) announced that they would leave the AAL to form a new league, after league president and commissioner Tony Zefiretto had sold the league to the ownership.[3]
The league played its first season in 2022, while the Mississippi Raiders defeat the Las Vegas Kings 55–12 to claim the Inaugural AIFA Championship.[4][5][6]
For the 2023 season, AIFA had a inter-league scheduling agreement with the American West Football Conference.[7][8] The Columbus Lions won the league championship after completing an undefeated season and beating Mississippi Raiders 55 to 10 in AIFA Championship.[9][10][11]
In late 2023 most of the teams left to join different leagues and the AIFA website was shutdown.
Teams
Teams that participated or were listed as members in the 2023 season.
Former teams
- Pennsylvania Union (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) — Was part of the original teams joined from the AAL, but then was not included in 2022 alignment.
- St. Charles Bandits (St. Charles, Missouri) — Joined from the AAL for the 2022 season, but never played a game.[17]
- Texas Pride (Garland, Texas) - Was part of the announced teams of the crossover games with the American West Football Conference (AWFC) for the 2023 season, but then was not included in the league standings.[18]
- Columbus Lions - Joined from the National Arena League for the 2023 season,[19] but left for the American Indoor Football after winning the league championship.[20]
- Carolina Predators (Fayetteville, North Carolina) - Joined from the AAL for the 2022 season,[21] but left after the 2023 season for the American Arena League 2.[22]
- Mississippi Raiders (Jackson, Mississippi) - Won the Inaugural AIFA Championship in 2022[23] and played in the 2023 finals before leaving for the American Indoor Football league for the 2024 season.
- Dallas Falcons (Dallas, Texas) - Joined for the 2023 season as a traveling team,[24] but would leave for the American Arena League 2 for the 2024 season.[25]
- Las Vegas Kings (Las Vegas, Nevada) - Played in the inaugural AIFA Championship in 2022, but the owner decided to moved the team after the conclusion of the 2023 season to the International Football Alliance.[26]
- Capital City Cyclones (Tallahassee, Florida) - Joined from the AAL as the Tampa Bay Tornadoes,[27] and later was rebranded as the Cyclones prior to the 2022 season.[28][29] Left after the 2023 season to join the International Football Alliance.[30]
