MARYLAND MANIACS, AREA'S NEWEST PRO TEAM Posted by 7thfloorbrew On 09/15/2008 Maryland Squad Set for 2009 Debut in Indoor Football League Laurel The Maryland Maniacs will make their professional debut as a expansion member of the Indoor Football League (IFL) for the league's 2009 season. The IFL which has teams from Maryland to Alaska and Louisiana to Montana, is a national league currently with 23 members, with further expansion to be announced soon. "This is a great day for Maryland football fans," stated Owner Messay Hailemariam. "Maryland is home to two great professional football teams, the Ravens and Redskins, and we are proud to bring the great fans of this state indoor football and their third professional franchise." The IFL, which was formed for the 2009 season with the merger of the United Indoor Football (UIF) league and the Intense Football League (IFL) is currently reviewing possible additional expansion markets and members of other leagues for admission to the Omaha, Nebraska based league. The Maniacs, who will call Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro home, are the first expansion member of the IFL. They will play along side some of the most storied franchises in indoor football history including the Billings Outlaws, Omaha Beef, Sioux City Bandits, and Sioux Falls Storm, all of which will be entering their 10th season in 2009. The league is quickly becoming recognized as a "league of champions" as it includes the Storm, who won their fourth consecutive UIF title in 2008, the Louisiana Swashbucklers, who won their second consecutive Intense Football League title in 2008 after going 17-0, the Saginaw Sting who captured the 2008 Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) crown, and the Rochester Raiders, who currently hold a 22-game winning streak and won the CIFL title in 2007. The Maniacs' ownership group is comprised of Hailemariam, Alvin "Jerome" Nichols II, and David Yee. Hailemariam and Yee are graduates of the University of Maryland. Nichols graduated from Sidwell Friends School in Washington D.C., and following his career at Wake Forest University, was a free agent signee of the Washington Redskins. See more at www.marylandmaniacs.com Copyright © 2021 thebaynet.com. All rights reserved. Page 1.