ROME, Ga. – The World Indoor Football
League (WIFL) has named Gary Tufford its Commissioner/Executive
Director,
it was announced today.
A former player in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as
well as a coach and team executive at every level of the
sport, Tufford will focus on the management aspects of the
League along with national sponsorships, strategic planning,
media partnerships and growth of the upstart league.
“
Being associated with the kind of Owners and League Officials
we have in the WIFL makes it all worth it,” Tufford
said. “Building something from the ground up takes
a huge amount of strength, character and determination. We
have all of those in the group that is assembled in this
league. I am proud to be associated with them and am looking
forward to the challenges and rewards that lay ahead for
the WIFL.”
Tufford comes to the WIFL after a stint with the American
Indoor Football League, where as Executive Director, he directed
its growth and forged working relationships with many of
the franchises now in the league.
"
We are very excited to have Gary joining our league as Commissioner," said
Harry Pierce, co-owner of the Rome Renegades and the Raleigh
Rebels. "Gary has very extensive expertise in football,
both on and off the field. As in every successful business,
you must surround yourself with great people and then give
them the tools to do their job. This is what we have done
in bringing Gary on board and we will ensure that he has
the tools to run one of the top leagues in our industry."
Tufford played four years in the CFL, with the Toronto Argonauts
and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. As a rookie, “Tuff” led
the Argonauts in receiving yards per catch. After his playing
days, Tufford served as a personnel director for the CFL’s
South East Region.
Tufford was the Head Coach and General Manager of the Erie
Invaders, guiding that team to a playoff berth in the Indoor
Football League. He followed that up as Head Coach and Executive
Vice-President for the af2’s Greensboro Prowlers. Tufford
also held positions as the President of GPS Sports and GT
Sports Group, a marketing and management consortium.
He will begin operations immediately as the league prepares
for its inaugural season in 2007.
Committed to raising indoor football to a new level of professionalism
both on and off the field, the WIFL consists of a bold group
of owners that have created a league owned and operated by
them.
World Indoor Football League to launch in
2007
07/27/06 - World
Indoor Football League (WIFL)
A bold group of owners committed to raising
indoor football to a new level of professionalism, both
on and off
the field, announced on Thursday, July 27th, their
intent to create a new league to be owned and operated
by them.
The group will operate under the working title of
the "World
Indoor Football League," and league play is anticipated
to commence in February 2007. The group's efforts have
been spearheaded by Harry Pierce, one of the owners of
two existing indoor football teams, the Rome Renegades
and the Raleigh Rebels. The group is comprised of seven
teams with proven track records in their respective markets,
each having owners with impressive business credentials
achieved prior to their involvement in the fast-rising
sport of indoor (arena) football.
"
I am very excited about the financial strength of the
owners who will be participating in this new league," said
Rick Chambers, one of Mr. Pierce's partners. "We
feel that this will really separate us from other leagues." "We
recently hosted a league championship game, and I was
so impressed with the quality of our product," Mr.
Pierce said. "But as good as the product has been,
it seems that all we hear about in indoor football is
poor management, questionable business decisions and under-financed
operations. THEN, there are always certain incidents that
have no place at all in what is supposed to be a professional
sports environment." "We are tired of the unnecessary
drama and we are sure the fans and players are, as well," Mr.
Pierce added. "There's no better time to do something
about this situation than now. A new day for indoor football
begins NOW." The following teams have indicated their
intention to join the WIFL:
- The Rome (Ga.) Renegades, owned by Harry Pierce,
Rick Chambers, David Humphreys & Mark White
- The Raleigh (N.C.) Rebels, owned by Harry Pierce, Rick
Chambers, David Humphreys & Mark White
- The Augusta (Ga.) Spartans, owned by Jimmy Young
- The Charleston (S.C.) Sandsharks, owned by Rick Johnson
- The Daytona Beach (Fla.) Thunder, owned by Kevin McDonald,
Zack McDonald and Antone Smothers.
- The Huntington (W.V.) Heroes, owned by Greg Ramey.
- The Osceola (Fla.) Football, owned by Dave Doebler and
Don Czech
"
We're expecting more teams to come on board in the next
few weeks," Mr. Pierce said. "It is going to
be a pleasure to play in a league where decisions are
made by the OWNERS of the teams, collectively, and where
the OWNERS share in the league's success.
A splash page has been created at www.wifl.us with links
to the team's respective web sites. As the league properly
develops a state-of-the art internet communications program,
fans are invited to visit the respective team's web sites.
