United Indoor Football League The Ultimate Indoor Football League ( UIFL ) is a regional professional indoor football league that began its inaugural season on February 18 , 2011 . History . On February 18 , 2011 , the first - ever UIFL game was played between the Saginaw Sting and the Eastern Kentucky Drillers . The inaugural game was held at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw , Michigan . The league co - founders are Michael Taylor and Andrew Haines ; Haines was also the owner and founder of the Atlantic / American Indoor Football League and the Mid - Atlantic Hockey League . The UIFL has a logo nearly identical to the one used by the AIFL in the 2006 season ( though it favors blue instead of red ) , and will apparently also use the AIFL red , white , and blue football also in use in the American Indoor Football Association . The league is based in Canton , Ohio . The league ' s first five teams were located in the Appalachia region , with teams based in Canton , Ohio ; Johnstown , Pennsylvania ; Pikeville , Kentucky ; Highland Heights , Kentucky ; and Huntington , West Virginia . Of those five markets , three ( Canton , Johnstown , and Huntington ) had teams in Haines ' previous league , the AIFL . The two markets in Kentucky have never had a professional indoor football team in any league ( though Highland Heights is usually considered part of the Cincinnati , Ohio metropolitan area , and the city of Cincinnati has had several indoor teams ) . The sixth team , the Saginaw Sting , came from the Indoor Football League . 2011 Season . The complete 2011 season concluded without any teams folding , nor any games being missed or rescheduled . The Northern Kentucky River Monsters finished with the best regular season record , 11 - 3 . However , due to league sanctions they were not able to host any playoff games and were dropped to a four seed . Saginaw finished 9 - 5 , followed by Eastern Kentucky at 8 - 6 , Huntington at 7 - 7 , Johnstown at 6 - 8 , and Canton at 1 - 13 . Saginaw defeated Northern Kentucky , 48 - 47 , in the first semifinals of the Ultimate Bowl I Playoffs , sponsored by Trophy Awards . In the other semifinal game , Eastern Kentucky advanced to the championship game with a 20 - 4 victory over Huntington . Ultimate Bowl I , also sponsored by Trophy Awards , was played Friday , June 9 , 2011 , at the Dow Center in Saginaw , MI , with the Sting claiming a 86 - 69 victory over the visiting Drillers . Following the Northern Kentucky River Monsters ' elimination from the playoffs , owner Jill Chitwood and the UIFL came to terms allowing the River Monsters to leave the UIFL . They are slated to join the Continental Indoor Football League as the Muncie River Monsters in 2012 . 2012 Season . On June 15 , 2011 , Michael Taylor and Andrew Hines sold their controlling slate in the UIFL to Assured Equities IV , a Florida corporation , for the sum of 1 . 45 million dollars . As part of the acquisition , UIFL Co - Founder Andrew Haines will remain as League President and a member of the Board of Directors , and UIFL Co - Founder Michael Taylor will continue as a consultant and a member of the Board of Directors for Assured Equities . For 2012 , there will be at least eleven new expansion teams , based in Rome , Georgia ; Estero , Florida ; Danville , Illinois ; Tupelo , Mississippi ; Marion , Ohio ; Cincinnati , Ohio ; East Ridge , Tennessee ; Raleigh , North Carolina ; Erie , Pennsylvania ; Lakeland , Florida ; and a team in Northern Kentucky to replace the River Monsters . Of these markets , five ( Rome , Danville , Tupelo , Raleigh , and Lakeland ) previously had teams in the AIFL , while Estero previously had a team in arenafootball2 ; East Ridge previously had a team in the National Indoor Football League ; the Cincinnati Commandos and Marion Blue Racers have come previously from the Continental Indoor Football League ; and the Erie Explosion moves from the Southern Indoor Football League . ( Incidentally , the acquisition of the Explosion brings the league full - circle ; the Explosion was the last surviving remnant of the AIFL , tracing its history to the Erie Freeze in 2005 . ) Recently announced was the league ' s intent to place a new team in Northern Kentucky ' s The Bank of Kentucky Center , which would replace the departed Northern Kentucky River Monsters . The new team is called the Kentucky Monsters and plans to retain the River Monsters ' prior records . However , because of the River Monsters ' move to the CIFL and maintaining their identity , it appears the UIFL history would be shared between the two teams . On July 22 , 2011 , the UIFL named Jared Lorenzen the league ' s Commissioner . Teams . " An asterisk < nowiki > * < / nowiki > indicates a team new to the UIFL for the 2012 season . "