Well this week has been . . . I can't say entertaining as much as I feel it's sad and disgraceful at what's happened. Usually there is something hilarious in these moments and that we can get some humor out of. This really isn't one of those times, peoples lives and businesses have been effected without the care of ownership. Now this is a story of course you've heard a thousand times over and over but this move could play the death in an entire league. Is this the death bell for indoor football? I hope not, I hope the Grim Reaper continues to stay away.
Credit: Indoor Football League |
The new week started off again breaking some news, and again bad news coming from the Project Fanchise camp. Late on Sunday night the news broke that Colorado Crush head coach Jose Jefferson had been fired as head coach due to "cost cutting measures" and as of posting of this article a new head coach has not yet been named. This marks the second time this year that Project Fanchise has fired a head coach immediately after winning a game. A request for comment by the Colorado Crush, Salt Lake Screaming Eagles, and or the ownership group Project Fanchise has not been responded too. All the news brings us to the IFL Week 11 kicking off on Friday night when the Nebraska Danger (5-4) host the Cedar Rapids Titans (1-8) at 7:05 PM CT. Saturday night features three games kicking off with the Iowa Barnstormers (6-2) hosting the Colorado Crush (2-6) at 7:05 PM CT, with the recent developments out of Loveland we'll let you know if anything changes with the game. Also at 7:05 PM CT sees the Wichita Falls Nighthawks (7-2) hosting the Sioux Falls Storm (8-0). Wrapping up the games on Saturday is the Arizona Rattlers (4-4) hosting the Green Bay Blizzard (2-7) in the first ever meeting between the teams. Wrapping up the weekend is a Sunday showdown when the Spokane Empire (6-2) host the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles (1-7) at 5 PM CT.
Credit: Champions Indoor Football |
As we enter Week 10, we come into the back third of the CIF schedule this week and it features just four games on tap. With just two games on Saturday the Omaha Beef (3-3) head to Salina, KS to take on the Liberty (0-7) at 6:35 PM CT. At 7:05 PM CT a rematch from last week happens as the Sioux City Bandits (6-1) host the West Michigan Ironmen (3-4), the Bandits will sure need to respond well after the thrashing they took last week. Sunday night features two games starting at 2:05 PM CT when the Kansas City Phantoms (1-6) host the Dodge City Law (6-1). Wrapping up the weekend is a 7:05 PM CT Lone Star State showdown when the Texas Revolution (4-2) host and get a rematch against the team that took away a perfect season, the Amarillo Venom (6-0). All games are viewable LIVE on Eversport.
Credit: National Arena League |
The NAL was also back in the news this week in an article by the Trentonian about the Jersey Flight, an expansion team in the NAL announced to start playing in 2018. A key statement in that article comes early on when interviewing co-owner Kyna Felder-Ruiz as she stated “It was announced a year earlier solely for marketing efforts and giving us time to build our fanbase, to connect with the community, to raise the dollars that we’re going to need to successfully run a whole season. I think that the other teams before us didn’t work out mainly because of poor management.” The key part of that sentence is "to raise the dollars that we’re going to need to successfully run a whole season." That's right it's just as bad as it sounds the National Arena League, which has not even completed it's first season, has admitted a team whose ownership group doesn't have money to play a full season. There is a great quote I read about his "If you don't already have money for three seasons, then you won't last more than one." I can't think of anything more true in this sport. Again I will clearly state I do not want to see the NAL or the sport fail out east but this is absolutely not how to do this.
The NAL's Week 7 sees three games being played this week. Both games are being played at 6 PM CT. The first games has the Jacksonville Sharks (5-0) hosting the Columbus Lions (3-2) from "The Shark Tank". Up north the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks (4-1) host the Corpus Christi Rage (0-4). And the final game this week is from Albany, GA as the Georgia Firebirds (1-4) take on the Wolfpack (0-3).
After a decent set last weekend with the Game of the Week this week looks to be of about the same caliber. This week the NAL Game of the Week kicks things off as the Jacksonville Sharks (5-0) host the Columbus Lions (3-2) at 6 PM CT from the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. This will be the second meeting between these clubs, during the first in Week 1 the Sharks beat the Lions 56-41 in Columbus. Next up is the IFL Game of the Week as the Sioux Falls Storm (8-0) travel to Wichita Falls to take on the Nighthawks (7-2) from the Kay Yeager Coliseum. The teams have met one other time this season and the Storm took that game 55-21 at home in Sioux Falls. Wrapping up the weekend is the CIF Game of the Week on Sunday at 7:05 PM CT when the Texas Revolution host the Amarillo Venom from the Allen Event Center. Amarillo and Texas met just two weeks ago when the Venom beat the Revolution 70-63 in Allen. As always the IFL and NAL games can be seen on YouTube while the CIF can be seen on Eversport.