Rochester Raiders The Rochester Raiders are a professional indoor football team based in the Rochester , New York area . They are currently a member of the Indoor Football League and play their home games at the Dome Arena in the suburb of Henrietta . The Raiders were previously a member of the Continental Indoor Football League ( formerly the Great Lakes Indoor Football League ) from 2006 to 2008 and the American Indoor Football Association for two exhibition matches in 2008 . Prior to the Dome Arena , the ESL Sports Centre , the Main Street Armory , and the Blue Cross Arena served as home venues of the Raiders . The Raiders played in the CIFL championship game twice , both times against the Port Huron / Michigan Pirates . They lost to Port Huron in 2006 but defeated Michigan in 2007 . Rochester finished the 2008 regular season undefeated at 12 – 0 ; however , the team resigned after their final regular season opponent , the Flint Phantoms , did not show for the game and forfeited . History . 2006 . The Rochester Raiders were founded in 2006 as a charter member of the newly - created Great Lakes Indoor Football League ( GLIFL ) . The Raiders derived their name from a local flag football team . There have been a small number of fans concerned with copyright between the team ' s logo and the National Football League ' s Oakland Raiders . However , since the Rochester team never plays in California , this is not believed to be of real concern . The Raiders were one of two 2006 teams in the GLIFL that held a television contract , at the time with WBGT - CA , a local low - power station . Games have since been moved to Time Warner Cable SportsNet . The Raiders ' first home venue was the ESL Sports Centre in Brighton ( a suburb of Rochester ) . The team ' s 2006 roster featured Syracuse University standout wide receiver Maurice Jackson ( who won the inaugural GLIFL Wide Receiver of the Year Award ) , quarterback Matt Cottengim ( the league ' s inaugural MVP ) , Darius Smith ( the league ' s inaugural Return Man of the Year ) , and in January 2006 , they signed 2 - time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XXVI Most Valuable Player Mark Rypien to a one - game contract . Rochester went 8 – 4 under head coach Dennis Greco ( on loan from East Rochester High School ) during the 2006 regular season and advanced to the postseason . However , they would ultimately fall to the Port Huron Pirates by a score of 40 – 34 in Great Lakes Bowl I , the GLIFL championship game . After the season , the Raiders moved from the 2 , 500 - seat ESL Sports Centre to the 5 , 000 - seat Main Street Armory in downtown Rochester . 2007 . In 2007 , ultimately the Raiders ' only season in the Armory , they finished the regular season with a 10 – 2 record under new head coach Eddie Long , good for first in the Atlantic Division . In the playoffs , Rochester won the CIFL championship by defeating the previously - unbeaten Michigan Pirates 37 – 27 in the CIFL Indoor Championship Game on July 28 , 2007 . Mike Condello was named the game ' s Most Valuable Player . The game was held at the Blue Cross Arena ( a venue with roughly double the capacity of the Main Street Armory ) due to a pro wrestling show which was being held at The Armory . The Raiders moved to the Blue Cross Arena full - time beginning with the 2008 season . 2008 . Rochester kept most of its championship - caliber core together , re - signing quarterbacks Mike Mikolaichik , Matt Cottingem , and Omar Baker ; running backs Jamil Porter and Dee Glanton ; wide receivers Maurice Jackson , Chris Carter , Noah Fahrenbauch , and Derrick Dyer ; offensive linemen Mike Kallfeltz and Eric Jendryaszek ; linebackers Jason Coley and James Vann ; defensive linemen Terrence Dawson and Tom Parks ; defensive backs Chris Shaw , Darius Smith , Makis Whitaker , and Jeff Richardson ; and kicker Adam Lanctot . The team also added tight end / defensive end TJ Cottrell ( son of Ted Cottrell ) , wide receiver Darryl Fragger , running back Felix Joyner , defensive lineman Steve Flemming ( all three from Port Huron ) , running back / wide receiver Mark Bly and linebacker Brenton Brady ( both from Miami Valley ) by way of free agency . The mix of holdovers from the 2007 club with players from free agency proved to be a winning combination as the team was wildly successful in 2008 . They finished the regular season undefeated ( 12 – 0 ; 11 – 0 in contested games ) and won their second straight division title ( but first in the Atlantic West Division ) . However , the Raiders withdrew from the CIFL playoffs on June 8 , 2008 , after the Flint Phantoms failed to show up for a Sunday afternoon game . The team then immediately moved to the American Indoor Football Association , and played two exhibition matches there , but then announced a move to the Indoor Football League instead . Speculation among fans and league personnel on CIFL message boards is that some Raiders players will play with the new af2 team in Buffalo , New York — which shares ownership with the Raiders — starting in 2009 . As part of the deal , Thurman Thomas , who is the other investor in the Buffalo af2 team , will also acquire a share of the Raiders . 2009 . In December 2009 , Rochester businessman Bob Bartosiewicz sold his majority share in the team to minority owner and team founder Dave McCarthy , and McCarthy announced that the team would be playing its 2010 home games at the Dome Arena in Henrietta , which has 2 , 164 seats — the lowest seating capacity of any IFL team , and lower than the previous arenas they used in the GLIFL and CIFL . 2010 . On June 5th , 2010 , the Raiders hosted the first outdoor IFL game against the Chicago Slaughter at Marina Auto Stadium . The Raiders won that game 43 - 36 . 2011 . In November , 2010 , according to www . goifl . com the Rochester Raiders will not play in the IFL this year . The organization hopes to resume in 2012 . Season - by - season record . ! Totals | | 50 | | 16 | | 0 < nowiki > * < / nowiki > = Current Standing