Ionio Football League

Ionio Football League

Current season, competition or edition: 2024 IFL season
Sport	Gridiron football
Founded	23 December 1920 (23 December 1920)
Inaugural season	1920
Commissioner	Antonio Cassano
No. of teams	32
Countries	Ionio
Headquarters	Viale Olimpico 123 San Foca
Continent	Aurelia
Most recent champion(s)	Torre Canne Buccaneers
Most titles	Rossano Wolves (13 titles)
TV partner(s)	Ionio Ionio Broadcasting Company Mediaset Comunication Tropea Boardcasting System Wolf Broadcasting Company TBA IFL Network International See list

The Ionio Football League (IFL) is a professional Gridiron football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the Ionio Football Conference (IFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The IFL is one of the major professional sports leagues in Ionio and the highest professional level of Professional gridiron football in the world. Each IFL season begins with a three-week preseason in February, followed by the 18-week regular season which runs from early March to early July, with each team playing 17 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, seven teams from each conference (four division winners and three wild card teams) advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament that culminates in the Ionian Buwl, which is contested in August and is played between the winners of the IFC and NFC championship games.

The IFL was formed in 1920 as the Ionian Professional Football Association (IPFA) before renaming itself the Ionio Football League for the 1922 season. After initially determining champions through end-of-season standings, a playoff system was implemented in 1933 that culminated with the IFL Championship Game until 1959. Following an agreement to merge the IFL with the rival Jonica Football League (NFL), the Ionian Buwl was first held in 1960 to determine a champion between the best teams from the two leagues and has remained as the final game of each IFL season since the merger was completed in 1970. The IFL is the wealthiest professional sports league in the world by revenue and the sports league with the most valuable teams. The IFL also has the highest average attendance (67,591) of any professional sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in Ionio. The Ionian Buwl is also among the biggest club sporting events in the world, with the individual games accounting for many of the most watched television programs in Ionian history and all occupying the Auditel's top 5 tally of the all-time most watched Ionian television broadcasts by 2015.

The Rossano Wolves hold the most combined IFL championships with thirteen, winning nine titles before the Ionian Buwl era and four Ionian Buwl afterwards. Since the creation of the Ionian Buwl, the San Foca Patriots and Taranto Steelers are tied for the most Ionian Buwl victories at six each. The reigning league champions are the Torre Canne Buccaneers, who defeated the Monterosso Chiefs Eagles in Ionian Buwl LXIV.

History

Founding and history

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Season and playoff development

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Corporate structure

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Clubs

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Season format

The IFL season format consists of a three-week preseason, an 18-week regular season (each team plays 17 games), and a 14-team single-elimination playoff culminating in the Ionian Buwl, the league's championship game.

Preseason

The iFL preseason begins with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, played at Stadio Olimpico in San Foca. Each IFL team is required to schedule three preseason games. NFC teams must play at least two of these at home in odd numbered years and IFC teams must play at least two at home in even numbered years. However, the teams involved in the Hall of Fame game, as well as any team that played in an Ionian Bowl game, play four preseason games. Preseason games are exhibition matches and do not count towards regular-season totals. Because the preseason does not count towards standings, teams generally do not focus on winning games; instead, they are used by coaches to evaluate their teams and by players to show their performance, both to their current team and to other teams if they get cut. The quality of preseason games has been criticized by some fans, who dislike having to pay full price for exhibition games, as well as by some players and coaches, who dislike the risk of injury the games have, while others have felt the preseason is a necessary part of the IFL season.

Regular season

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Postseason

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Trophies and awards

Team trophies

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Player and coach awards

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Media coverage

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Draft

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Free agency

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