The Indoor Football League (IFL) announced on Tuesday that they have partnered with YouTube. Each game will be streamed live on YouTube.
YouTube will be the home of live games, on-demand full replays, highlights from across the league, “And more,” for free. The news comes after the previous broadcasting system required a payment of $110 to be able to watch each game.
Indoor Football League Partners With YouTube
“Utilizing the YouTube platform makes it easier than ever for our fans to enjoy our games and remain highly engaged in all aspects of the IFL,” Commissioner Michael Allshouse said in a press release. “We continue to see a strong desire for more digital video content and this partnership gives football fans around the country even more access to our thrilling sport.”
The IFL is the first Indoor Football league of any kind to affiliate with YouTube to broadcast games live. The Arena Football League has been contracted through ESPN and CBS Sports Network before. However, other indoor leagues have never established a platform that was so available to fans. YouTube has also broadcasted NBA D-League games for multiple seasons in the past.
The Indoor Football League was founded in 2008 through a merger between the United Football League and Intense Football League. The divisions still hold the names, “Intense,” and, “United.”
The league is now in their tenth season of play, and will house ten teams for the 2017 season. It is also the home of the first ever fan-run professional sports franchise, the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles. For example, fans were able to select the head coach, team name, team colors, and uniforms through online voting, all thanks to Project FANchise.
The IFL will open their 2017 season on Feb. 16, as Salt Lake will host the Nebraska Danger with the game kicking off at 9:00 p.m. ET. It will be televised on the IFL’s YouTube channel.
