BYU NewsNet - Utah Valley gets Indoor Football Team

With the success of the AFL franchise Utah Blaze, fans in Utah have grown fond of indoor football.

Now fans in Provo won't have to go as far as Salt Lake City to see their own team, after one was given a home at UVU.

The Utah Valley Thunder, the newest member of the American Indoor Football Association, was announced Wednesday after two months of discussion between owner Dave Affleck and AIFA officials John Morris and Michael Mink. The team will begin the 2009 season in March.

Originally the Utah Saints, the indoor football group gathered at the Kearns Olympic Oval with little publicity until Mink came along to help push the team toward consideration for the AIFA. Affleck, whose son Michael plays quarterback for the team, was contacted to become the owner and finalize plans for the team join the league.

It was a journey for Affleck to see the Saints go up against the AIFA teams Wyoming Cavalry and New Mexico Wildcats.

"Wyoming would have more fans than we would at our own place," he said. "In Albuquerque, the fans stormed the arena with their Wildcat hats and shirts. These are big, big events in Casper, Albuquerque, and Prescott. I really saw what product this can be if it is done right."

He also cited a huge opportunity for the team in Utah Valley, pointing out the success of the NBA D-League's Utah Flash, who set a league record for a first-year squad by bringing around 3,800 fans to each game.

"There's a wealth of players here in Utah with guys from BYU, Utah and Utah State who would love to keep playing football," Affleck said. "We have good, quality talent here and we believe we have the energy and support to field a team. We believe 'Thunder' is a good name for a team with strength and power."

AIFA CFO Michael Mink likes the prospects of a team in Utah Valley.

"We believe we have the ultimate family situation that will give a lot of community participation," he said. "Our games are a fun adventure for kids and the team will have great leadership with the Afflecks."

The Thunder will be coached by Chad DeGrenier, who played quarterback in the Arena Football League for seven years with the Arizona Rattlers after a college career at Washington State.

"I'm excited to be here and give to the community," DeGrenier said. "I'm excited to teach these young men about football and I think we'll have the talent to be in the playoffs in 2009."

The Saints utilized former BYU players Chris Bolden and Rudy Beck, along with Utah State receiver Aaron LeSeau, who hope to make the Thunder roster.

"I was a little skeptical at first about the team," Bolden said. "After Rudy told me to come out and give it a try, I saw that there is some big talent in this league. There's not a big difference between Division-I college football and the AIFA, just a different speed where you have to think fast and read and adjust more quickly."

The Thunder will compete in the AIFA's West Division with New Mexico, Wyoming, the Arizona Adrenaline and another team from Utah, rumored to be based in Ogden. They will play a 14-game regular season schedule and three playoff games. Tryouts will be in mid-November and the season runs from the end of March to June.

The AIFA field is 50-yards long by 28-yards wide and features rounded endzones similar to a hockey rink. Fans are allowed to keep any balls that are thrown or kicked out of play.

The mission of the league is to provide fast-paced, fan-friendly professional football at affordable prices, maintaining regionalized play to keep costs low and maximize the team's operating capital.

The league emphasizes fundamental development, career development, community involvement, and education to everyone involved with the league. The AIFA vision is to become a world-renown and respected league built around honesty, communication, and the development of personnel.