IFL announces new franchise in Tucson in 2019

[DiamondThief]

8/23/18 --

The Indoor Football League is getting larger this off season.

Arizona Rattlers head coach Kevin Guy, leader of an ownership group in Tucson, Arizona, and the IFL announced today that a franchise located in Tucson will join the league beginning the 2019 season. Guy will continue to coach the Rattlers while owning the new franchise. Guy and his wife, Cathy, will be the majority owners of the team. The name, colors and logo have yet to be announced. There is a name the team movement on the team's new website.

Tucson brings the league to seven teams, and puts another team regional to the Rattlers. Prior to today's announcement, the Rattlers were on an IFL island, with their closest opponent, the Nebraska Danger, located in Grand Island, Nebraska. The Rattlers, who play in Arizona's capital of Phoenix, are an 18-hour drive from one another. By comparison, Tucson is a two-hour drive to Phoenix.

"This is Tucson's team," Kevin Guy said in an official IFL press release. "We love the market and want to be a part of the growth of the downtown district. We feel Tucson is a perfect fit in the Indoor Football League. It fits our strategic plan of developing a western conference. It is a high scoring, fast paced game where fans can reach out and interact with the players. We look forward to building a passionate fan base by putting a great product on the field."

After a bit of a tumultuous off season following the 2017 campaign which saw the IFL lose four teams, and saw two more who were ready to join but unable to due to a legal matter, the Tucson franchise is the first expansion team to join the league since the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles in 2016. Salt Lake lasted just one season before its owners folded the team to form its own fan-run league. 

"We are excited to bring a unique experience to the Tucson community," Cathy Guy, co-owner and chief operating officer the team, said in the IFL press release. "We believe in the city and the people of Tucson. We are looking forward to building relationships and giving back to our community. The indoor product is an interactive, fun, family entertainment everyone will enjoy."

Mike Feder, who spent a decade and a half as general manager of Tucson's triple-A baseball team, has been brought on as executive director of the team. Feder is no stranger to the game of indoor football as he spent three years in the front office with the AFL's New Orleans VooDoo and Austin Wranglers.

IFL commissioner Mike Allshouse said the following: "On behalf of the Indoor Football League and its member teams, we are excited to welcome the Tucson community to the IFL family. Kevin and Cathy Guy have assembled an amazing staff and their vision for Tucson Indoor Football is quite impressive. We are looking forward to a fantastic partnership."

SCtoC has learned that there are at least two other existing teams from other leagues which are a near lock to join the IFL for next season, and possibly as many as three others. Also today, rumors emerged that a a pair of cities could be in the mix to join the league this season. While rumors abound during the off season of every indoor league regarding team movements and additions, this site has decided not to include the specifics of those rumors in its official reports.

The team will play at the Tucson Events Center in an arena which has a seating capacity of nearly 9,000 persons. The arena is also home to the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League.

"On behalf of the Indoor Football League and its member teams, we are excited to welcome the Tucson community to the IFL family," said IFL Commissioner Mike Allshouse. "Kevin and Cathy Guy have assembled an amazing staff and their vision for Tucson Indoor Football is quite impressive. We are looking forward to a fantastic partnership."

All six teams which comprised the IFL in 2018 are returning to the league next seaton; the Rattlers, Danger, Cedar Rapids Titans, Green Bay Blizzard, Iowa Barnstormers, and Sioux Falls Storm. The league is entering its 11th season. The Iowa Barnstormers won the 2018 United Bowl, 42-38, over the Sioux Falls Storm. The Titans are expected to have a new look, as they are undergoing a re-branding under new owners Roy Choi and Matt Stone, and general manager Ryan Eucker.

The Indoor Football League was founded in 2008, and has just concluded its 10th season in 2018.

- ANM

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[Kasey]

We thought it would be the CIF for Tucson. It's interesting that they are in the IFL now. I see how they are trying to avoid the conflict of interest of Guy coaching the Rattlers and owning another team by his wife holding the COO position and bringing in an executive director with indoor experience.

Don't get me wrong. It's great to see expansion in the IFL. The question is this: How intent will Kevin Guy be as a coach when he is up against a team he owns. I'm not questioning his integrity in either role. I do wonder if there will be an on-field conflict of interest when the two teams play one another.