Supreme Indoor Football

The league's history began with two of its future teams having problems with the X-League. On May 31, 2015, the Cape Fear Heroes announced that they would be leaving the X-League entirely and operating independently the rest of the season while searching for a new league in 2016.[2] In the wake of such recent events, the Marion Blue Racers would follow suit in announcing their departure from the X-League.

On August 23, 2015, the Indoor Football Alliance of the new Supreme Indoor Football league (owned by Heroes owner Barbara Spigner) and the revived Continental Indoor Football League (owned by Saginaw Sting owner Jim O'Brien) was announced. The Heroes were the SIF's first team, while the Blue Racers, Sting and the Erie Explosion all announced their intentions on returning to the CIFL.[3] On November 4, 2015, the Saginaw Sting returned to American Indoor Football (AIF), leaving the IFA; the Blue Racers followed shortly after. With the departures of the Sting and Blue Racers, the Explosion were the lone CIFL representative in the Alliance. On the same day, the Heroes (still at that point alone as members of their league) held a press conference holding firm to their plans on launching Supreme Indoor Football, with a target of eight teams for its inaugural 2016 season.[4] On December 4, 2015, the league announced its first new team, the Kentucky Knights, a team that had originally been announced as a team in the Texas-based North American Indoor Football.[5]

The Heroes released their 2016 schedule on December 9, 2015; it included games against the Explosion, Knights, a team known as the "Maryland Big Red," Buffalo Lightning and Atlanta Sharks, the last two of which also jumped from AIF. The Lightning confirmed their participation in the Alliance on December 15.[6] On January 18, 2016, the Explosion announced they would not participate in a 2016 season[7] reducing alliance participants to three (Buffalo Lightning, Cape Fear Heroes, and Kentucky Knights).

On January 30, 2016, Supreme Indoor Football held a draft that included five teams, the previously mentioned three plus the ASI Panthers (formerly of AIF) and a team called "Western Pennsylvania" (presumably a last-minute replacement for the Explosion).[8] Shortly thereafter, the Heroes released a revised schedule, removing the Atlanta Sharks and adding an unnamed team from Lockport, New York (taking the place of one of the Explosion's home games, an away game was still listed as being against the Explosion)[9] and the IFA website added several previously unannounced teams (Cincinnati Bulldogs, Cleveland Saints, River City Raptors, and the Steel City Patriots). However, on March 3, 2016, league commissioner Barbara Spigner announced that the Cape Fear Heroes would sit out the 2016 season due to a number of factors, among them being financial support.[10] The Lightning and Bulldogs each played some games independently in 2016, including one against each other with the Bulldogs losing 45–0 to the Lightning.

In August 2016, the league reactivated, this time as a solo league. Its members were listed as the Heroes, the South Carolina Ravens (a travel team affiliated with AIF in 2016), the Cap City Bulls of Austin, Texas, and the Coastal Outlaws of Savannah, Georgia. However, the Outlaws claimed to be part of a different league called United States Indoor Football and were eventually removed from the website in September.[11] Replacing the Outlaws in September, the SIF website added the Triangle Torch (formerly of the AIF) as one of its members, but there has yet to be a statement made by the SIF or the Torch on their new membership. On October 5, a team called the Louisiana Cottonmouths announced on their own Facebook that they have joined the SIF; the Cottonmouths were originally a 2016 expansion team in the AIF that failed to launch prior to their first season.[12]

The SIF held a press conference on October 28 officially announcing its return to organizing as a league with the management of the Heroes and the Torch. The SIF listed the Heroes, Torch, Bulls, Ravens, and Cottonmouths on their Facebook page. On November 5, the league added the Anderson Gladiators from the recently formed Arena Developmental League.[13] On November 14, the league partnered with the new regional league, Elite Indoor Football, to play a cross-league schedule for 2017. The EIF was founded by the Savannah Steam after the demise of the AIF and includes four other teams: the Atlanta Furious, the Carolina Cowboys, the Florida Tribe, and the Roanoke Militia. In January 2017, the SIF added two more teams in the Georgia M.O.B. and Greenville (later changed to Upstate) Dragons.[14][15] The Georgia M.O.B. (Men of Business) were previously announced as members of the Georgia Arena Football League[16] and then Elite Indoor Football[17] before joining the SIF. The Dragons were announced as being a travel-only team for 2017.

The league's schedule was announced as starting play on April 1, 2017. Prior to this, the Cap City Bulls played a non-league exhibition games February 11 against the Wichita Falls Nighthawks, losing 89–12,[18] and March 9 against the Monterrey Steel, losing 47–24. While the Anderson Gladiators, Louisiana Cottonmouths, and South Carolina Ravens are still listed as SIF teams, they were left off the 2017 schedule and their social media pages have not been updated in several months; the header of the league's website now also includes the helmets of the EIF's Savannah Steam and Carolina Cowboys (whose helmet in turn is an unauthorized copy of the Dallas Desperados'). Neither the Steam nor the Cowboys have been declared a full member of the league. In early March, the Georgia M.O.B. were also removed from the schedules. The Heroes played the first official game of the season against the Savannah Steam (now going by Southern Steam) with a 58–0 win on April 1.

The first season for the SIF had each of the four participating teams playing a six-game season within the league. The Torch would end the season undefeated with a record of 6–0, the Heroes going 4–2, the Bulls going 1–5 and the Dragons with a 0–6 record. On June 17, 2017, the Heroes defeated the Bulls 63–14 in the semifinal game. The Heroes then defeated the Torch in the championship game on June 24, 30–24.[19][20]

At the end of the season, the Torch left the league and then joined the newly formed American Arena League (AAL) on July 21. On August 7, the Upstate Dragons signed an arena deal in Anderson, South Carolina, and also announced they would be joining the AAL.[21] The next week, the Cap City Bulls also announced they would be joining the AAL and changed their name to the Austin Wild. However, the AAL never confirmed their membership and they became an affiliate team looking to become full members. By August 23, the Heroes were again the only confirmed SIF member for 2018 and subsequently joined the AAL as well.[1]

• Supreme Indoor Football official website
• Supreme Indoor Football official Facebook