New IFL Offices to be located in Richmond, VA

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www.oaoa.com/sports/league_21203___article.html/odessa_football.html

Odessa High grad purchases indoor team from Benizio

Odessa Roughnecks founders Tommy and Abby Benizio on Monday announced that Brandon Smith, president of Allegiance Pro Sports of Odessa, has purchased the Indoor Football League team.

Benizio is moving to Richmond, Va., where the newly formed Indoor Football League will have its league offices.

"This is a bittersweet day for me," Benezio said. "We love the city of Odessa, the community and the team. We know that Brandon and his family are going to help the team continue to grow and be successful."

Smith, a 1991 graduate of Odessa High, already owns the Katy Ruff Riders and an expansion team in El Paso that will begin play next season in the IFL. Smith also announced that the franchise in Katy will relocate to Abilene for the 2009 season.

"I've been talking to Tommy, off and on, about it (buying the team) for the past three years," said Smith, who has been a season-ticket holder with Odessa for the past four seasons. "He's entertained the idea, but the opportunity recently came up, and we started negotiating about three months ago.

Rebecca Greenfield, Smith's sister, will run the marketing efforts for the Odessa team and will help run the Abilene team.

The Odessa team has played in the Intense Football League, the National Indoor Football League and then again in the Intense Football League since it was founded five seasons ago. The Roughnecks will play next season in the Indoor Football League, which was created when the Intense Football League merged with United Indoor Football during the summer.

"I feel great about the franchise, I feel great about the league, and I feel that the new expanded league next year is going to give fans and the franchise something to look forward to," Smith said.

Odessa coach Chris Williams noted the impact of the Benizios on minor-league sports in the Permian Basin.

"This is a sad day for the franchise," Williams said. "Because if it wasn't for Tommy, there wouldn't be indoor football in Odessa."

Williams already was looking ahead to the upcoming season.

"I think the team is going to be fine, and I'm looking forward to next year because we were just a field goal away from playing for the championship this season," he said. "We'll start getting players signed and preparing for another run for the title in 2009."

[UnoBomber]

Having your headquarters based in a future AIFA location. NOW THAT'S IRONY!

[gonzo13]

It happens. Isn't the CIFL based in Canton? Maybe the Richmond team doesn't stay in the AIFA for long?

.....This damn game, it's the train wreck that you just can't turn your back on.

[scooter]

Sept 23, 2008 22:48:26 GMT -5 gonzo13 said:

It happens. Isn't the CIFL based in Canton? Maybe the Richmond team doesn't stay in the AIFA for long?

.....This damn game, it's the train wreck that you just can't turn your back on.

Yea! You know it's going to be a disaster, but you can't help but watch.....

Stay Tuned!

[gonzo13]

Oh I don't think the IFL will be a disaster at all.

I believe the IFL poses a serious threat to the AIFA.

[expressfan01]

Sept 24, 2008 17:46:45 GMT -5 gonzo13 said:

Oh I don't think the IFL will be a disaster at all.

I believe the IFL poses a serious threat to the AIFA.

That is why the IFL started spreading rumors that they convinced several AIFA teams to jump to there league, when teams said that there wasn't a chance they were leaving the AIFA.

[UnoBomber]

It looks like a solid league on the surface, but does it really need 30+ teams?

[gonzo13]

They do if they want to try to be the only indoor football league.

[stingray53]

Just remember in 2004 when the UIF destroyed the NIFL(yes it needed to die) and went after the af2. They ended up being down to 8 teams last year and was going to fold as most of the teams were going to leave.

While the UIF/IFL merger was a good thing, they already are acting to big for thier britches once again as in 2004. Just relax and watch the eventual implosion.

[gonzo13]

Speaking of implosions, are the Stingrays still around?

[Gene]

Sept 27, 2008 11:44:39 GMT -5 gonzo13 said:

Speaking of implosions, are the Stingrays still around?

They are pushin up daisies or so i heard....

[stingray53]

Yep, I would say they are done. Tried to call my contacts with them today and all mailboxes are full. Oh well it was fun while it lasted.

[exit322]

The IFL isn't creating rumors of any sort. I'm not impressed with them so far, but I've not talked to any sources in either area that say the IFL was actively calling any team. The CIFL teams all contacted the IFL, and there has been AIFA-to-IFL contact as well.

If the IFL has a good season in 2009...which if the CIFL teams going there get help and are solid, they will...then the AIFA is in trouble (well, it already is because the league has been absolutely unable to keep teams from folding, and this time they're not replacing them 1-for-1).

IFL offices are in Richmond because the commissioner wanted it to be there - from what I understand he has family in Virginia, and that puts him close to home. It doesn't appear to have anything to do with the Richmond AIFA team.

And with regards to the UIF - both AF2 teams came to them. They almost had about a dozen more, but Kurz got things settled down for a couple years to keep people happy and still in the AF2 (most of those teams have since folded as the AF2's cost structure stinks). The UIF had problems, but supposedly trying to attack the AF2 had nothing to do with it.