BALTIMORE, Maryland (January 23, 2009) – The American Indoor Football Association announced today that two of its member teams, the Canton Legends and the Arizona Adrenaline, will not participate in the 2009 season. Both organizations cited financial issues related to a declining economy as the principal reason for their respective decisions.
The North Central Ohio region has been hard hit by declines in the manufacturing and service sectors, with thousands of jobs shipped out of the region as factories and service industries which supported them closed. This area and its problems became a focal point of both the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections.
In the Prescott region, the issue has been the declining real estate market. For years, this community has been among the fastest growing in the state of Arizona. The recent and well-documented problems related to the credit markets has brought this growth to a halt and impacted the ability to secure real estate loans. To complicate the problem, the ownership of this franchise has a significant involvement in the real estate business.
Both teams have cited difficulty in securing the necessary ticket sales for the coming season. The economy has also affected corporate involvement, as other businesses have tightened their belts.
“We waited as long as we could before making the call regarding these two teams,” said AIFA co-owner John Morris. “Most of our teams are solid financially, but these two had unique problems which couldn't be resolved. We will continue our support for both Canton and Arizona, with the hope these two franchises will be back with us in 2010.”
The AIFA will release a revised schedule soon.
