2021 Indoor Football League season
# 2021 Indoor Football League season

The 2021 Indoor Football League season was the thirteenth (and twelfth complete) season of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The league played the season with twelve teams, down from thirteen the previous season, by adding one expansion team, one team from the National Arena League, one team from the American Arena League, and four teams going on hiatus. In addition, three existing teams made their IFL on-field debut after the 2020 season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As there were still many pandemic-related restrictions still in place during early 2021, the start of the season was delayed from February to April with the postseason to begin in August. The top eight teams qualified for the postseason with the Massachusetts Pirates, playing their first season in the IFL, defeating the Arizona Rattlers in the United Bowl on September 12.

## Offseason

On June 26, 2020, the Columbus Wild Dogs announced that they would not begin play until 2022. On August 19, 2020, the Massachusetts Pirates, formerly of the National Arena League, were added to the IFL for the 2021 season as the league's first East Coast-based team. On August 25, the league added the Northern Arizona Wranglers in Prescott Valley, Arizona, for the 2021 season, joining the Arizona Rattlers and Tucson Sugar Skulls as the third IFL team to be based in Arizona for 2021. On November 6, the Louisville Xtreme of Louisville, Kentucky, was added. The 2020 expansion Oakland Panthers, as well as the Cedar Rapids River Kings, Quad City Steamwheelers, and the San Diego Strike Force withdrew from the season due to the effects of the pandemic.

The initial schedule for the twelve teams was announced on November 17, 2020, with all teams playing 16 games between March 28 and July 24, 2021, before the playoffs. On February 17, the league pushed back its start date to April 23 for four teams, with the rest of the teams to start on May 14. The four teams that started on April 23 were to still have 16 games, but the others teams were to play a reduced 14-game schedule.

## Teams

| Team | Location | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head coach |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Arizona Rattlers | Phoenix, Arizona | Footprint Center | 18,422 | 1992 | 2017 | Kevin Guy |
| Bismarck Bucks | Bismarck, North Dakota | Bismarck Event Center | 10,100 | 2017 | 2019 | Rod Miller |
| Duke City Gladiators | Rio Rancho, New Mexico | Rio Rancho Events Center | 6,000 | 2015 | 2020 | Martino Theus (until June 30) Robert Kent Jr. |
| Frisco Fighters | Frisco, Texas | Comerica Center | 3,500 | 2019 | 2020 | Clint Dolezel |
| Green Bay Blizzard | Green Bay, Wisconsin | Resch Center | 8,600 | 2003 | 2010 | Corey Roberson |
| Iowa Barnstormers | Des Moines, Iowa | Wells Fargo Arena | 15,181 | 1995 | 2015 | Les Moss |
| Louisville Xtreme | Louisville, Kentucky | KFC Yum! Center | 22,090 | 2012 | 2021 | Mark Stoute |
| Massachusetts Pirates | Worcester, Massachusetts | DCU Center | 12,339 | 2017 | 2021 | Patrick Pass |
| Northern Arizona Wranglers | Prescott Valley, Arizona | Findlay Toyota Center | 6,000 | 2020 | 2021 | Dominic Bramante |
| Sioux Falls Storm | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | Denny Sanford Premier Center | 10,678 | 2000 | 2009 | Kurtiss Riggs |
| Spokane Shock | Spokane, Washington | Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena | 10,771 | 2006 | 2020 | Billy Back |
| Tucson Sugar Skulls | Tucson, Arizona | Tucson Convention Center | 8,962 | 2018 | 2019 | Dixie Wooten |

* ↑ Was known as Phoenix Suns Arena at the start of the season until July 16, 2021.

## Regular season

### Standings

| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| y – Arizona Rattlers | 12 | 2 | .857 | 708 | 535 |
| x – Massachusetts Pirates | 11 | 3 | .786 | 627 | 455 |
| x – Frisco Fighters | 10 | 3 | .769 | 532 | 485 |
| x – Duke City Gladiators | 7 | 7 | .500 | 741 | 661 |
| x – Iowa Barnstormers | 6 | 6 | .500 | 499 | 483 |
| x – Spokane Shock | 6 | 6 | .500 | 520 | 486 |
| x – Bismarck Bucks | 7 | 8 | .467 | 613 | 616 |
| x – Sioux Falls Storm | 6 | 7 | .462 | 569 | 558 |
| Tucson Sugar Skulls | 6 | 8 | .429 | 574 | 597 |
| Green Bay Blizzard | 5 | 9 | .357 | 494 | 569 |
| Northern Arizona Wranglers | 1 | 13 | .071 | 443 | 736 |
| Louisville Xtreme | 0 | 5 | .000 | 153 | 223 |
| (y) clinched regular season title • (x) clinched playoff spot Final standings • Source ↑ Terminated midseason↑ Standings reflect overall winning percentage per the official IFL source, but are not based on playoff seeds due to tiebreakers. ||||||

### Schedule

The season began on the weekend of April 23–24 with two games: the Bismarck Bucks at the Green Bay Blizzard and the Massachusetts Pirates at the Louisville Xtreme. The four teams were the only teams playing until May 15 when the other teams joined. After initially postponing the Xtreme's June 12 home game, the IFL subsequently terminated the Xtreme's membership due to failing to maintain the league's minimum obligations and the team did not finish the season. All of the Xtreme's games were removed from the schedule.

| Week | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Venue |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | April 23 | Bismarck Bucks | 41–35 | Green Bay Blizzard | Resch Center |
| 1 | April 24 | Massachusetts Pirates | 49–18 | Louisville Xtreme | KFC Yum! Center |
| 2 | May 2 | Massachusetts Pirates | 36–40 | Green Bay Blizzard | Resch Center |
| 3 | May 7 | Louisville Xtreme | 29–49 | Green Bay Blizzard | Resch Center |
| 3 | May 8 | Massachusetts Pirates | 36–18 | Bismarck Bucks | Bismarck Event Center |
| 4 | May 15 | Green Bay Blizzard | 46–58 | Bismarck Bucks | Bismarck Event Center |
| 4 | May 15 | Iowa Barnstormers | 56–36 | Sioux Falls Storm | Denny Sanford Premier Center |
| 4 | May 15 | Frisco Fighters | 36–33 | Spokane Shock | Spokane Arena |
| 4 | May 16 | Arizona Rattlers | 51–20 | Northern Arizona Wranglers | Findlay Toyota Center |
| 5 | May 21 | Tucson Sugar Skulls | 36–42 | Green Bay Blizzard | Resch Center |
| 5 | May 22 | Frisco Fighters | 34–26 | Louisville Xtreme | KFC Yum! Center |
| 5 | May 22 | Northern Arizona Wranglers | 39–61 | Bismarck Bucks | Bismarck Event Center |
| 5 | May 22 | Duke City Gladiators | 63–55 OT | Iowa Barnstormers | Wells Fargo Arena |
| 5 | May 22 | Arizona Rattlers | 46–50 | Sioux Falls Storm | Denny Sanford Premier Center |
| 5 | May 22 | Spokane Shock | 34–26 | Massachusetts Pirates | DCU Center |
| 6 | May 29 | Sioux Falls Storm | 49–43 | Louisville Xtreme | KFC Yum! Center |
| 6 | May 29 | Bismarck Bucks | 42–49 | Iowa Barnstormers | Wells Fargo Arena |
| 6 | May 30 | Tucson Sugar Skulls | 55–35 | Duke City Gladiators | Rio Rancho Events Center |
| 7 | June 4 | Arizona Rattlers | 41–34 | Green Bay Blizzard | Resch Center |
| 7 | June 5 | Louisville Xtreme | 37–42 | Massachusetts Pirates | DCU Center |
| 7 | June 5 | Sioux Falls Storm | 64–28 | Bismarck Bucks | Bismarck Event Center |
| 7 | June 5 | Iowa Barnstormers | 33–13 | Tucson Sugar Skulls | Tucson Convention Center |
| 7 | June 5 | Spokane Shock | 42–24 | Northern Arizona Wranglers | Findlay Toyota Center |
| 7 | June 5 | Duke City Gladiators | 57–58 | Frisco Fighters | Comerica Center |
| 8 | June 12 | Iowa Barnstormers | 22–53 | Bismarck Bucks | Bismarck Event Center |
| 8 | June 12 | Green Bay Blizzard | Ppd. | Louisville Xtreme | KFC Yum! Center |
| 8 | June 12 | Tucson Sugar Skulls | 34–44 | Arizona Rattlers | Phoenix Suns Arena |
| 8 | June 12 | Duke City Gladiators | 34–17 | Northern Arizona Wranglers | Findlay Toyota Center |
| 8 | June 12 | Spokane Shock | 50–32 | Sioux Falls Storm | Denny Sanford Premier Center |
| 8 | June 12 | Frisco Fighters | 40–33 | Massachusetts Pirates | DCU Center |
| 9 | June 18 | Bismarck Bucks | 50–29 | Green Bay Blizzard | Resch Center |
| 9 | June 19 | Arizona Rattlers | 51–36 | Duke City Gladiators | Rio Rancho Events Center |
| 9 | June 19 | Louisville Xtreme | X | Frisco Fighters | Comerica Center |
| 9 | June 19 | Massachusetts Pirates | 37–34 | Tucson Sugar Skulls | Tucson Convention Center |
| 9 | June 19 | Sioux Falls Storm | 47–57 | Iowa Barnstormers | Wells Fargo Arena |
| 9 | June 19 | Northern Arizona Wranglers | 37–63 | Spokane Shock | Spokane Arena |
| 10 | June 25 | Iowa Barnstormers | 44–48 | Green Bay Blizzard | Resch Center |
| 10 | June 25 | Spokane Shock | 35–56 | Arizona Rattlers | Phoenix Suns Arena |
| 10 | June 26 | Frisco Fighters | 53–48 | Duke City Gladiators | Rio Rancho Events Center |
| 10 | June 26 | Bismarck Bucks | 27–52 | Sioux Falls Storm | Denny Sanford Premier Center |
| 10 | June 26 | Tucson Sugar Skulls | 44–48 | Northern Arizona Wranglers | Findlay Toyota Center |
| 10 | June 27 | Massachusetts Pirates | X | Louisville Xtreme | KFC Yum! Center |
| 11 | July 2 | Massachusetts Pirates | 38–37 | Frisco Fighters | Comerica Center |
| 11 | July 3 | Spokane Shock | X | Louisville Xtreme | KFC Yum! Center |
| 11 | July 3 | Northern Arizona Wranglers | 38–52 | Duke City Gladiators | Rio Rancho Events Center |
| 11 | July 3 | Arizona Rattlers | 54–38 | Tucson Sugar Skulls | Tucson Convention Center |
| 12 | July 9 | Iowa Barnstormers | 35–42 | Frisco Fighters | Comerica Center |
| 12 | July 10 | Bismarck Bucks | 38–43 | Massachusetts Pirates | DCU Center |
| 12 | July 10 | Green Bay Blizzard | X | Louisville Xtreme | KFC Yum! Center |
| 12 | July 10 | Northern Arizona Wranglers | 19–62 | Arizona Rattlers | Phoenix Suns Arena |
| 12 | July 10 | Duke City Gladiators | 40–41 | Tucson Sugar Skulls | Tucson Sugar Skulls |
| 12 | July 10 | Sioux Falls Storm | 35–46 | Spokane Shock | Spokane Arena |
| 13 | July 16 | Frisco Fighters | 42–43 | Bismarck Bucks | Bismarck Event Center |
| 13 | July 17 | Louisville Xtreme | X | Iowa Barnstormers | Wells Fargo Arena |
| 13 | July 17 | Duke City Gladiators | 71–54 | Northern Arizona Wranglers | Findlay Toyota Center |
| 13 | July 17 | Tucson Sugar Skulls | 34–45 | Spokane Shock | Spokane Arena |
| 13 | July 18 | Arizona Rattlers | 44–68 | Massachusetts Pirates | DCU Center |
| 13 | July 18 | Sioux Falls Storm | 31–21 | Green Bay Blizzard | Resch Center |
| 14 | July 24 | Louisville Xtreme | X | Massachusetts Pirates | DCU Center |
| 14 | July 24 | Green Bay Blizzard | 34–26 | Iowa Barnstormers | Wells Fargo Arena |
| 14 | July 24 | Northern Arizona Wranglers | 30–33 | Frisco Fighters | Comerica Center |
| 14 | July 24 | Spokane Shock | 61–68 | Duke City Gladiators | Rio Rancho Events Center |
| 14 | July 24 | Sioux Falls Storm | 33–59 | Arizona Rattlers | Footprint Center |
| 14 | July 24 | Bismarck Bucks | 27–34 | Tucson Sugar Skulls | Tucson Convention Center |
| 15 | July 30 | Green Bay Blizzard | 30–41 | Bismarck Bucks | Bismarck Event Center |
| 15 | July 31 | Iowa Barnstormers | X | Louisville Xtreme | KFC Yum! Center |
| 15 | July 31 | Duke City Gladiators | 48–60 | Arizona Rattlers | Footprint Center |
| 15 | July 31 | Northern Arizona Wranglers | 46–48 | Tucson Sugar Skulls | Tucson Convention Center |
| 15 | July 31 | Frisco Fighters | 37–33 | Sioux Falls Storm | Denny Sanford Premier Center |
| 15 | July 31 | Massachusetts Pirates | 63–57 | Spokane Shock | Spokane Arena |
| 16 | August 7 | Green Bay Blizzard | 33–50 | Massachusetts Pirates | DCU Center |
| 16 | August 7 | Louisville Xtreme | X | Sioux Falls Storm | Denny Sanford Premier Center |
| 16 | August 7 | Tucson Sugar Skulls | 28–55 | Arizona Rattlers | Footprint Center |
| 16 | August 7 | Northern Arizona Wranglers | 11–71 | Duke City Gladiators | Rio Rancho Events Center |
| 16 | August 7 | Spokane Shock | 34–45 | Frisco Fighters | Comerica Center |
| 16 | August 7 | Bismarck Bucks | 41–48 | Iowa Barnstormers | Wells Fargo Arena |
| 17 | August 13 | Sioux Falls Storm | X | Bismarck Bucks | Bismarck Event Center |
| 17 | August 13 | Arizona Rattlers | 30–20 | Spokane Shock | Spokane Arena |
| 17 | August 14 | Duke City Gladiators | 59–63 | Tucson Sugar Skulls | Tucson Convention Center |
| 17 | August 14 | Louisville Xtreme | X | Iowa Barnstormers | Wells Fargo Arena |
| 17 | August 14 | Sioux Falls Storm | 49–55 | Iowa Barnstormers | Wells Fargo Arena |
| 17 | August 14 | Green Bay Blizzard | 20–38 | Frisco Fighters | Comerica Center |
| 17 | August 15 | Massachusetts Pirates | 51–16 | Northern Arizona Wranglers | Findlay Toyota Center |
| 18 | August 21 | Tucson Sugar Skulls | 56–38 | Northern Arizona Wranglers | Findlay Toyota Center |
| 18 | August 21 | Green Bay Blizzard | 35–58 | Sioux Falls Storm | Denny Sanford Premier Center |
| 18 | August 21 | Frisco Fighters | 38–55 | Arizona Rattlers | Footprint Center |
| 18 | August 21 | Bismarck Bucks | 45–57 | Duke City Gladiators | Rio Rancho Events Center |
| 18 | August 21 | Iowa Barnstormers | 19–55 | Massachusetts Pirates | DCU Center |
| 18 | August 21 | Louisville Xtreme | X | Spokane Shock | Spokane Arena |

* ↑ Was known as Phoenix Suns Arena at the start of the season until July 16, 2021.

## Playoffs

The top eight teams made the IFL playoffs, where teams were ranked by winning percentage due to the imbalanced schedule. After Louisville was terminated midseason, the schedule was further imbalanced leading to several tiebreaker parameters needing to be used resulting in the fourth place Duke City Gladiators and fifth place Iowa Barnstormers switching seeding for the playoffs.

The quarterfinals consisted of the top seed hosting the eighth seed, the second seed hosting the seventh seed, the third seed hosting the sixth seed, and the fourth hosting the fifth seed. In the semifinals, the highest remaining seed hosts the lower remaining seed and the next-highest hosts the next-lowest from the quarterfinals. The semifinal winners then meet in the 2021 United Bowl.

| First round (August 28–29) | First round (August 28–29) | First round (August 28–29) | | | Semifinals (September 4–5) | Semifinals (September 4–5) | Semifinals (September 4–5) | United Bowl (September 12) | United Bowl (September 12) | United Bowl (September 12) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 8 | Sioux Falls | 42 | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Arizona | 69 | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Arizona | 69 | | | 5 | Duke City | 55 | | | |
| | | | | | 1 | Arizona | 58 | | | |
| 7 | Bismarck | 19 | | | 1 | Arizona | 58 | | | |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 44 | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 44 | | | | | | 2 | Massachusetts | 37 |
| (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | 2 | Massachusetts | 37 |
| (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | 1 | Arizona | 34 |
| 6 | Spokane | 33 | | | | | | | | | 1 | Arizona | 34 |
| 3 | Frisco | 44 | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Frisco | 44 | | | 3 | Frisco | 22 | | | |
| | | | | | 2 | Massachusetts | 43 | | | |
| 5 | Duke City | 34 | | | 2 | Massachusetts | 43 | | | |
| 4 | Iowa | 33 | | | | | | | | |
