Biggest Game Of Indoor Football League Came To Henderson Saturday
Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
Back when Bruce Van Hyfte used to root for the old San Diego Chargers, he would show up for tailgating at 6 in the morning for 1 PM games at Jack Murphy Stadium.
So, that’s why the 70-year-old football fan showed up at 12:40 PM for Saturday’s 5 PM game at The Dollar Loan Center arena that would determine Indoor Football League supremacy. Two teams called the Northern Arizona Wranglers (Van Hyfte’s team) and the Quad City Steamwheelers were playing at this neutral site for the IFL crown.
Let’s just say Van Hyfte and his wife, Debbie, had the entire parking lot at the new arena in Henderson all to themselves with their Ford F-250 pickup truck.
“We’re used to NFL tailgating where for a one o’clock game they’d open the gates at 6 AM,” Van Hyfte explained to LVSportsBiz.com.
Though, wife Debbie sized up the situation succinctly when she asked, “I’m still not sure why we’re here four hours early.”
Well, eventually a few more fans showed up and they watched the Wranglers defeat the Steamwheelers, 47-45, at the arena that opened five months ago in the suburban Green Valley Ranch area of Henderson.
It’s the first year of a three-year deal between the arena and the Indoor Football League to have the 14-team league stage its title game at the Dollar Loan Center venue.
It was not exactly a full house and the majority of fans were from Northern Arizona, a four-hour car ride to Henderson.
Tickets started at 50 bucks and Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley’s sports group helped the league put on the game at the arena that it manages. Technically, the city of Henderson owns the $84 million arenas of about 5,600 seats, but Foley runs the place and keeps the lion’s share of the revenues.
Foley’s team in the league, the Vegas Knights Hawks (yes, the team is called Vegas even though it plays its games in an arena in Henderson), actually defeated the champion Wranglers in its first ever game back in March.
Justin Gannon, who used to work in sports and is now a realtor in Las Vegas, tweeted, “Leagues like this should always have the championship games at the higher seeds arena. The only thing I could think of is if the city of Henderson/VGK paid them to host the event and the league is making more money on it than otherwise. 6,385 attended last year in Arizona.”
Foley’s sports crew is trying to fill the $84 million arena with programming.
His Henderson Silver Knights, the minor league feeder team to the Golden Knights, play in the venue besides the IFL Knight Hawks. Plus, the G League, the NBA minor league, will have its Ignite basketball team start playing in the arena.
And when it comes to basketball, college basketball’s Big West conference has its annual tourney in the venue in March.
It’s hard to say how many fans actually paid to attend the game or even passed through the doors to enter the building. Before the game, ushers told LVSportsBiz.com they were expecting 2,800-3,200 fans in the building Saturday. Attendance was announced at 4,149.
It’s not a Bill Foley sports event without Carnell Johnson singing the national anthem. The man nicknamed “Golden Pipes” was in mid-VGK season form tonight.
And, if you’re so inclined to follow the game stats, here you are:
