Indoor football: It's almost like winter never happened

Football fanatics took their favourite game indoors this winter. The Sudbury Indoor Football League (SIFL) ran from mid-November until late March with men and women ages 13 and older taking part.

Sudbury native and former St. Charles Cardinals quarterback Chris Duke started the league in 2010 with friends Anna Macdonald and James Howatt.

“After high school football, we still wanted to play, so we came up with the idea for the league in first-year university,” Duke said.

The response from the Sudbury community has been enthusiastic, as more players have joined the league each year, Duke said. In fact, the number of teams has doubled from four in the inaugural season to eight.

A major reason for the league’s continued success is the high level of involvement from those that play in it.

“The league is organized and run by volunteers who have a vested interest in it,” Duke said.

According to Macdonald, her overall experience has been “absolutely wonderful.” As a former Cardinals flag-football player, she said “it’s the closest thing to high school flag-football that you can play, and it’s co-ed.”

Macdonald was also quick to point out there is a great social aspect to the league that makes it much more enjoyable.

For more information about the SIFL, visit sifl.ca.

For the full version of this story, head to SudburySportsMag.com, Nickel City's only local sports magazine.