Arena football:
Green Bay Blizzard joins Indoor Football League
By Weston Hodkiewicz • whodkie@greenbaypressgazette.com • November 5, 2009

When the Green Bay Blizzard returns to the field next spring, it’ll be playing in the Indoor Football League.

New Blizzard owner Jeff Royle announced the new affiliation on Thursday afternoon. The Blizzard was in arenafootball2 from 2003 to 2008. The team will continue to play at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon.

For now, the team's name will remain the Blizzard, but Royle said the name may have to be changed. He did not say why, nor did he say how much he paid for the team.

Royle said he has interviewed coaching candidates and hopes to name a coach within the next week. Doing so quickly is important because the IFL's player signing period started Sunday.

The IFL has 23 teams.

Last year, the IFL had 19 teams in four divisions and played a schedule that began in mid-March and ended in late July, with playoffs in August. Eight of the 19 teams were located in the Midwest and five teams were located in Texas, but the league’s footprint reached from the East Coast to Alaska.

Since the end of the 2009 season, the IFL has added teams in La Crosse, Grand Rapids, Mich., Richmond, Va., and Austin and Amarillo, Texas, but has lost teams in Saginaw, Mich., and suburban St. Louis.

The Blizzard's old league, af2, was dissolved earlier this year so its teams would not be affected by the bankruptcy of its parent, the Arena Football League. A new league, Arena Football 1, is made up of former AFL and af2 teams.

The IFL was created last year when two leagues -- the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football -- merged. It is not the same league in which the old Green Bay Bombers played in 1999 and 2000.

Royle also owns the Green Bay Bullfrogs, a summer college baseball team that is a member of the Northwoods League and plays at Joannes Stadium from May to August.

Royle, Blizzard make move to IFL
Thursday, 05 Nov 2009

GREEN BAY, Wis. - After an offseason full of questions, the Green Bay Blizzard finally have a new owner and a new league.

Jeff Royle and the Titletown Football Group, have purchased the Green Bay Blizzard and they will play the 2010 season in the Indoor Football League. Royle is also the owner of the Green Bay Bullfrogs.

The decision was announced at a news conference Thursday afternoon. Royle said that the IFL provides the most financially sound business model for them to operate. They will be making the move from what was formally known as Arena Football 2.

The Indoor Football League was founded in 2008, when the former Intense Football and United Indoor Football leagues merged.

The league boasts near-NFL claiber football that is played in mid-sized cities around the nation.

The league has a total of 24 teams ranging from Alaska to Washington D.C.

"Near NFL talent"

Omg good for the IFL im happy they can get those kinds of players since there are some NFL teams that dont have "Near NFL talent"

-------------------------
Go Blaze!
Go Thunder!

I'm looking for any Utah warriors of the nifl items such as jerseys helmet anthing... Even programs if you have anything please let me know!

http://goldspeed101.blogspot.com/

Too Funny, but too true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leaping Lizzards ...

Green Bay ... is finally getting the high quality and real football they so profoundly deserve.
Kudos to their ownership. Smart move.

It's been great reading gizzard fans oh so open minded view of the UIF/IFL compared to
the now defunct af2 all these years.

Why just of looking forward to Chicago whipping that cheesy GB azz, and knowing
Bruiser and myself among many others will be enjoying every second of the beatdowns.


Congratulations from the bottom of my heart green bay fans.
It couldn't happen to a bunch of nicer guys.















-------------------------
"now that's beautiful".
~crusher~
registered democrat( sorry about that)
Imperial Emperor of the AFL messageboard

NIXON ...Now more than ever.

Vote Republican in 2010

Hey, the top half of the IFL teams have better talent than say the ..............
Buffalo Bills
Tennessee Titans
Jacksonville Jaguars
Cleveland Browns
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
Washington Redskins
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Detroit Lions
Seattle Seahawks
St. Louis Rams

OUCH !

Crusher, looks like I'll be coming in for a game or two (w/candied brats?) since the Raptors are going dark for at least this season. Who knows, maybe they'll come back to the UIF/IFL? I'm gonna miss working the games this year, I had the best seat in the house.

I loved going to Raptors games when they were in
UNITED INDOOR FOOTBALL. I had a blast.
Too bad a decent owner can't be found to bring the
Raptors back to the premier Indoor Football league.

-------------------------
"now that's beautiful".
~crusher~
registered democrat( sorry about that)
Imperial Emperor of the AFL messageboard

NIXON ...Now more than ever.

Vote Republican in 2010

Edited: 11/09/2009 at 05:46 PM by da cRUSHer