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PRO TEAMS
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Maryland Maniacs Indoor Football Club
Maryland Squad Set for 2009 Debut in Indoor Football League
Laurel, MD (September 13, 2008) – The Maryland Maniacs will make their professional debut as a expansion member of the Indoor Football League (IFL) for the league’s 2009 season. The IFL which has teams from Maryland to Alaska and Louisiana to Montana, is a national league currently with 23 members, with further expansion to be announced soon.
“This is a great day for Maryland football fans,” stated Owner Messay Hailemariam. “Maryland is home to two great professional football teams, the Ravens and Redskins, and we are proud to bring the great fans of this state indoor football and their third professional franchise.”
The IFL, which was formed for the 2009 season with the merger of the United Indoor Football (UIF) league and the Intense Football League (IFL) is currently reviewing possible additional expansion markets and members of other leagues for admission to the Omaha, Nebraska based league.
The Maniacs, who will call Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro home, are the first expansion member of the IFL. They will play along side some of the most storied franchises in indoor football history including the Billings Outlaws, Omaha Beef, Sioux City Bandits, and Sioux Falls Storm, all of which will be entering their 10th season in 2009.
The league is quickly becoming recognized as a “league of champions” as it includes the Storm, who won their fourth consecutive UIF title in 2008, the Louisiana Swashbucklers, who won their second consecutive Intense Football League title in 2008 after going 17-0, the Saginaw Sting who captured the 2008 Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) crown, and the Rochester Raiders, who currently hold a 22-game winning streak and won the CIFL title in 2007.
The Maniacs’ ownership group is comprised of Hailemariam, Alvin “Jerome” Nichols II, and David Yee. Hailemariam and Yee are graduates of the University of Maryland. Nichols graduated from Sidwell Friends School in Washington D.C., and following his career at Wake Forest University, was a free agent signee of the Washington Redskins.
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Baltimore Mariners Indoor Football Club
Baltimore, MD - August 15, 2008) With a 4-10 record inaugural season officially behind them, the Baltimore Mariners of the American Indoor Football Association will focus on moving ahead; not looking in the rear-view mirror. Armed with a solid new ownership group and a dedicated front office staff, the Baltimore Mariners are tirelessly placing themselves on a path to success.
Prior to the official announcement regarding the sale of the Baltimore Mariners to local businessmen Alan Taylor and Steve Shockett, the wheels were already in motion and were rolling toward solidifying the Baltimore Mariners’ local footprint and economic stability for the 2009 season. Taylor had already assembled his team of front office personnel, including the hiring of the Mariners’ General Manager Greg “Muggy” Justice.
Having retired from a long and impressive career on the football field, Justice has been working around the clock to not only develop the building blocks of a successful franchise on the field, but in the community as well. And so far, things could not be better. Justice has traveled all over the state of Maryland with team owner Alan Taylor visiting potential sponsors, and so far the response has been very impressive to say the least. “This has been an incredible journey so far. Local businesses have been very receptive and excited about the opportunity to be a part of the Baltimore Mariners” Taylor said. He went on to add “…local sponsorships are not just about the monetary value. These partnerships provide a level of exposure for both the companies signing on, and for the Mariners. We are not the NFL, and obviously we do not have that type of recognition. With the help of our new friends in the local business market, the Mariners will get some well needed visibility in the community, and those business owners will benefit from our advertising initiatives. This is a happy marriage.”
In one of his first acts of business as the team GM, Justice had the honor of officially introducing the 2009 head coach of the Baltimore Mariners, Chris Simpson. Simpson returns to the sidelines for a second season as head coach. When asked about being invited back to sail the team into its second season, Simpson said “It is an exciting time right now.” When asked to elaborate on the excitement, Simpson said “This is a completely new opportunity. Alan Taylor and Greg Justice have given me complete control of this team. They have faith in my abilities as a head coach. I have picked my own staff and I will get to coach this team the way I feel it should be coached. That was something that was not afforded to me last season. I have a lot to prove, not only to myself and the team, but to the fans of Mariners football. I am looking forward to that challenge.”
With less than seven months before the 2009 Baltimore Mariners take the field, a solid ownership group has been implemented, a talented and dependable front office staff has been hired, community businesses have jumped on board, a powerful coaching staff has been brought on board and is headed up by Coach Simpson, and the first open tryout date has been set for October 12th. The Baltimore Mariners are making big strides to improve their record on the field, and strengthen their community support and brand recognition off the field, including the imminent sale of 2009 season ticket plans. As of right now, there seems to be plenty of wind in their sails to carry them through 2009 and beyond.
For more information on Baltimore Mariners football, visit www.baltimoremariners.com.
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DC Armor Indoor Football Club
AIFA Expands to Washington D.C. for 2009
10/10/08 - American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)
• Discuss this story on the American Indoor Football Association message board...
BALTIMORE, Maryland (October 10, 2008) - The American Indoor Football Association has awarded an expansion franchise to the District of Columbia. The team, to be known as the D.C. Armor, will begin play in 2009.
"I am so very excited about this franchise," said AIFA co-founder John Morris. "It is perfectly located in the center of our Eastern footprint. That Washington-Baltimore rivalry is going to be great, and don't forget nearby Richmond in 2010. The Pennsylvania and Carolina franchises are close by as well."
"I can't say enough about the AIFA," said Corey Barnette, a principal in the team ownership group. "We are enthused about the opportunity to field a team here. We looked at all of the leagues. When you look at the geographic location and the level of competition, it's hard to not argue that the AIFA is the absolute best. We think it's a very viable league, and we're excited."
The Armor will play its home games in the D.C. Armory, which is being renovated for its newest tenant. The team will also have its offices in the arena, which is located adjacent to RFK Stadium and is easily accessible through the region's mass transit rail system.
"It's a ten-thousand seat arena," Barnette remarked for an interview to air on This Week in the AIFA. "It's a phenomenal environment. It's a huge playing facility, but not so much that it would overwhelm a mid-sized crowd."
"The D.C. Armor will fit beautifully in our league," said AIFA co-founder Michael Mink. Washington is a fantastic sports market with a huge population base from which to draw."
Washington D.C. currently ranks as the No. 8 television market, with nearly 2,300,000 TV households. Nearby Baltimore adds over a million more television households into a region with a total population in excess of eight million people.
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