BALTIMORE, Maryland (December 17, 2008) – Reacting to the recent decision of the Arena Football League not to play in 2009, AIFA co-founder John Morris speculated that the landscape of the sport of indoor football could change. The American Indoor Football Association will not be affected directly, however, as the two leagues are not related.

Morris made his remarks in response to an email question posed during a recorded interview which will air in its entirety on This Week in the AIFA, the league's Internet radio program. The next edition of the show will be available over the weekend.

“I have an enormous amount of respect for the AFL and what they've been able to do over the last 23 years,” Morris said. “I'd like to see them straighten things out and get back into this. Indoor football is better off having them in.”

During the interview, Morris speculated that the Arena Football League's decision not to play in 2009 could impact a number of areas, ranging from the availability of players to sponsorship.

“We've already had phone calls from coaches and players in different parts of the country who want to have an opportunity to play in our league,” he said. “They also understand that if they are playing, a lot of good things can happen. If they aren't playing, then they're just sitting around. I think it's going to drive a lot of really solid players into our league.

“You never like to see a situation like the AFL happen,” Morris emphasized. “We'd like to see them put things back together for 2010. It's a great situation for us to have them there, quite frankly. I think the main focus for us is to go out and recruit markets that are close to the teams that we have and continue to create those rivalries. And if these players want to play and something should happen with the AFL and they are not around in 2010, then obviously it makes our product much stronger. Either way, it's a win for us. But we'd love to see those guys (the AFL) come back soon.”

The American Indoor Football Association will announce its 2009 schedule shortly.

The American Indoor Football Association is pleased to announce that its All-Star Game on January 24th, 2009 from Harrisburg Pennsylvania will be produced and aired live in the Central Pennsylvania area on WHTM abc-27 Television. This game will feature a Harrisburg Stampede team against a team of AIFA All-Stars and will be broadcast at 7:00 EST.

Abc-27 Television will produce a five camera production with instant replay, satellite uplink and a veteran crew of announcers and sideline reporters. In addition they will be the flagship television station for this event and will provide the satellite uplink signal for syndication to other television stations and media outlets across the country both live and tape-delayed.

Abc-27 a leader in the region covering and airing sporting events will feature and be lead by WHTM Sports Anchor Gregg Mace as the play by play announcer for this event as well as several other Abc-27 sport personalities.

The Stampede in their quest to fill their roster with the best possible players available have signed veteran player Brandon McDowell. Brandon is a versatile player who can play many positions from wide receiver, running back and kick returner to defensive back. He played his college football at Case Western Reserve University where he was a small college All-American who consistently ranked with the best players in the country.

During the 2008 season Brandon played professional football overseas for the Danube Dragons of the Austrian Football League where in six games he had 23 receptions for 500 yards and 6 touchdowns. In addition he scored 4 two point conversations and had 14 kickoff returns for 203 yards.

Prior to the 2008 season Brandon played four seasons of indoor football where he was twice named as a league All-Star. Brandon has played for the Carolina Speed (AIFA), Florence Phantoms (AIFL), Fayetteville Guard (NIFL) and the Carolina Rays (NIFL) and during his indoor career has averaged per season 52 catches for 608 yards for 18 touchdowns.

OGDEN, Utah (December 16, 2008) – The Ogden Knights of the American Indoor Football Association will hold open tryouts for all positions on Saturday, December 20th.

The event will be held at the Sportsplex, located at 1188 W. Sportsplex Drive in Kaysville. Registration begins at 2:00PM, followed by the open tryout session. Players can also pre-register online at the Knights' web site, www.ogdenknights.com. A registration fee of $40 is required for participation.

“Every year the AIFA finds any number of outstanding players through open tryouts,” said AIFA co-founder Michael Mink. “This is an opportunity for any football player to show what they can do.”