Will Birmingham play in the National Indoor Football League?
September 15, 2017
The proposed National Indoor Football League's website lists Birmingham as one
of the cities that will begin play in 2018.
In addition to Birmingham, the other cities mentioned are Atlanta, Bakersfield,
Boston, Charlotte, Columbia (SC), Dallas, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Little Rock,
Madison (WI), Nashville, New York, Norfolk, Pensacola, Phoenix, Raleigh,
Richmond, Sacramento, Virginia Beach, Washington DC, Winston-Salem, and
Worchester (MA).
On June 23, 2016 the NIFL's management team first announced they would bring
back the league with more than 34 teams around the country.
This version of the NIFL claims to have a $100 billion business strategy and
team development plan. They had hoped to begin play in 2017 but that did not
happen. Part of that business strategy is to allow fans to invest directly into
their favorite teams.
The previous version of the NIFL played from 2001 to 2007. The league had two
teams from Alabama, the Montgomery Maulers (2005 to 2006) and the Mobile
Seagulls (2001). In 2004, the NIFL was the only indoor football league in
America that partnered with the NFL for officiating.
The NIFL's president and CEO, Carolyn Shiver, said the league plans to leverage
media and entertainment technology as well as gaming to connect with fans and
stay in touch with the leagues fan base and attract new fans and partners.
"Technology is evolving and so are sports fans. Our goal will be to stay
connected with fans and be responsive in real time to address their interests
and keep in touch," said Shiver.
Incredibly, the league is projecting revenues of $600 million in their first
playing year, with most of that coming from national television contracts with
Time Warner, Charter, Comcast, Dish Network, and DirecTV. All games will be
aired on local channels and available nationally on the proposed NIFL network.
The games will also air on mobile devices.
The NIFL is requiring every team to take on a limited number of local owners
that invest and have ownership in their team.
Epilogue
Unfortunately, the new National Indoor Football League did not fare as well as
the original, which played for seven seasons.
The new NIFL never got out of the planning stages, most likely due to lack of
securing proper finances.
