by:  Diane Benjamin

It looks like no indoor football at the Coliseum.  This article lists the participating teams for this year, Bloomington is missing:  http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4876206

FOOTBALL

Champions Indoor Football: The Wichita-based team in the new CIF, which was created after the 2014 indoor season through a merger of the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) and the Lone Star Football League (LSFL), will be called the Wichita Force. A team called the Wichita Wild played in the CPIFL’s only two seasons of 2013 and 2014, but it was not part of the new merged league. The Wild’s owner was unable to sell the team and another group formed the CIF’s new Wichita Force expansion team. The CIF has posted its ten-team alignment that will feature a five-team South Division and a five-team North Division for the inaugural 2015 season. The league will feature three teams (Amarillo Venom, New Mexico Stars and San Angelo Bandits) from the LSFL, four teams (Dodge City Law, Omaha Beef, Salina Bombers and Sioux City Bandits) from the CPIFL, one team (Texas Revolution) from the Indoor Football League and two expansion teams (Gary Dawgs and Wichita Force). Two other 2014 LSFL teams (West Texas Wildcatters and Rio Grande Valley Sol) and five other 2014 CPIFL teams (Bloomington Edge, Kansas Koyotes, Lincoln Haymakers, Oklahoma Defenders and Wichita Wild) did not end up being part of the new merged league for 2015.

Fall Experimental Football League: The proposed new developmental FXFL, which plans to start play next month with four teams, posted its schedule with the Miami Blacktips now listed simply as the Blacktips and playing only three road games in the 2014 season. The Blacktips had planned to play home games at Florida International University. Originally, all teams were to play three home and three away games, but now the other three teams will each play a total of five games with the Omaha Mammoths playing four home games, the Brooklyn Bolts playing three home games and the Boston Brawlers playing two home games.

According to the CIAM contract:  (Management Agreement CIAM)

a. CIA shall be responsible for providing to the Coliseum commitments from professional sports franchises as long-term, primary tenants at the Coliseum with aggregate annual playing dates approximating 50 home games, at the Coliseum, as follows:

b. Ice Hockey. CIA has secured on behalf of the City a debt free professional hockey franchise, approved for play in the Bloomington Region as defined by its league membership with BMI 6 Hockey, L.L.C., an Illinois Limited Liability Company. Said Hockey License shall be submitted for approval by the City and City Council by October 10, 2005 and executed upon approval by the City Council.

c. Professional Indoor Football. CIA has secured on behalf of the City a debt free professional football franchise, approved for play in the Bloomington Region as defined by  its league membership with B-N Football, L.L.C. an Illinois Limited Liability Company as shown and indicated on Football License Agreement. Said Football License shall be submitted for approval by the City and City Council by October 10, 2005 and executed upon approval by the City Council.

I’ve lost track of how many time the contract has been violated.  Very few events are scheduled at the Coliseum, now no football.

Is David Hales not doing his job?  Is Mayor Renner covering for CIAM?

The people you can blame are the City Council, especially the potted plants.  Aldermen Stearns and Lower were promised a review of the Coliseum.  They got platitudes instead.

Meanwhile, Aldermen Schmidt, Sage, Fruin, Painter, Mwilambwe, and Black say nothing.  Defending taxpayers isn’t on their agenda.