Ready or not, here comes the International Football Alliance.
While the second-tier United Football League is set to begin year two next March (and extend spring pro football’s latest incarnation into a fourth season), fans will soon be asked to make room for a summer league that’s even lower on the play-for-pay pyramid.
The seven-team IFA is scheduled to open on May 31, 2025, with the Alabama (Huntsville) Beavers hosting the Tampa Tornadoes in what is billed as the “IFA Kickoff Classic.”
The other flagship teams in the league are the Baltimore Lightning, Chihuahua Rebellion, Dallas Pioneros, Ohio Valley (Wheeling, West Virginia) Ironmen and San Antonio Caballeros.
Hal Mumme, famous for the air raid offense, will guide San Antonio. Following a long career in college coaching he’s had stints in alternative football with the XFL Dallas Renegades (2020) and The Spring League Linemen (2021).
And Art Briles brings plenty of on-field success to his job with Dallas. Briles compiled a 99-65 record while coaching Houston Cougars (2003-2007) and Baylor Bears (2008-2015),and led Estra Guelfi Firenze to the championship of the Italian American Football Federation in 2022.
(In the interest of background checks, you might wanna fire up the ol’ search engine and type in “Briles Baylor controversy” and “Mumme New Mexico State controversy.”)
The IFA draft will be held March 21-22, 2025, and consist of eight rounds. The first three rounds will be confined to international and dual citizen athletes, while four through eight will focus on U.S. players.
Each team will play an eight game regular season schedule followed by semi-finals and a championship game on August 16.
The Kickoff Classic begins a week earlier than the full slate of IFA competition, which gets under way on June 7.
When the formation of the IFA was announced in January, 2023, the plan was to start with six teams – three in Mexico and three in the United States. The Mexican entrants were to come from the defunct Fútbol Americano de México (Guadalajara Tequileros, the Rebellion and Cancun Sharks) while the Pioneros de Queretaro were relocating to Dallas. At various points, Las Vegas, El Paso, San Diego and Lakeland, Florida, were touted as possible U.S.-based sites.
Last month it appeared there would, indeed, be six teams in the inaugural season, but Ohio Valley was added in late October.
And in a bold move, the IFA is already accepting expansion applications for 2026.
It’s easy to be skeptical about this latest gridiron venture, and I certainly am. Aside from St. Louis, UFL teams have trouble putting butts in the seats – meaning that circuit has hardly taken permanent root in the sports landscape. But it does have major network TV contracts, and decent TV ratings are why it hasn’t gone cleats up like the myriad minor leagues that have come before.
The IFA, on the other hand, signed a deal with Right Now TV in January and in October announced that Lights Out Sports would serve as its streaming partner.
Gotta be honest … I’d never heard of either of them, so I have no idea what they bring to the table in terms of exposure.
Despite repeated attempts to reach a representative with the league I’ve gotten no response, so all I have to go on is what’s on their website.
Here’s the IFA mission statement:
We are bridging the gap in international professional football by delivering the highest level of American Football within the strategic locations of Mexico and the United States. We are implementing NFL-based standard rules of play, and creating a true international alliance. Together with our team ownership, teams, players, and fans, we will work to build a unified and solid football ecosystem to grow American football in a league without borders.
In theory, I like the concept, although “NFL-based standard rules of play” sounds boring. (You’ve gotta have some cool rule tweaks). Mexico has the largest NFL viewership outside the United States, and the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional – which has a loose working agreement with the Canadian Football League – just completed its ninth season. Since the IFA intends to have a mixture of Mexican and American players, this gives athletes south of the border another avenue of tackle football.
But whereas UFL players can actually make a living on that league’s salaries (roughly $50,000 per player for three months’ work), most IFA signees will earn just $400 per game, with active quarterbacks bringing in $1,500 per outing.
Obviously, that’s better than nothing, but it means earning an IFA roster spot is more about getting film than getting paid.
As I’m sure you know, the track record of upstart football is poor. If a league doesn’t carry the initialism of “NFL,” it usually goes from the cradle to the grave quickly.
Still – despite long odds – the stakeholders in the International Football Alliance think there’s a market for lower level summer pro football.
I guess we’ll find out.
Another fascinating league to add to your collection.
Where is the Chihuahua Rebellion based?
Can’t find anything official, but a couple of sources have mentioned Juárez City.