The Fayetteville Guard was a professional indoor football team in the National Indoor Football League (NIFL) and American Indoor Football Association (AIFA). They played home games at the Cumberland County Crown Coliseum from 2005 to 2010.
The Guard were replaced by the Fayetteville Force in the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) for the 2011 season. After a 3–0 start to the 2011 SIFL season, the Force collapsed and was eventually sold to the AIFA. The Force did not return in 2012 and were replaced the Cape Fear Heroes expansion team as part of American Indoor Football.
History Stingrays The teams began play in 2003 as the Myrtle Beach Stingrays of the National Indoor Football League in the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, compiling a 6–8 record in their inaugural season. After two games in the 2004 season, the NIFL shut down the team due to the team owners, April Coble and Jack Bowman, failing to pay the players and other obligations. However, local investors including then head coach Terry Smith, saved the team in time to schedule a third game at the Staten Island Xtreme the last weekend of April. On April 29, the team was moved to Florence, South Carolina, for the remainder of the season as the Carolina Stingrays with seven home games at the Florence Civic Center. The relocated team finished with a 3–6 record in Florence and a final 5–7 record in their second season.
Guard The following year, the team was purchased again and moved to Fayetteville to replace af2's Cape Fear Wildcats, who had moved to Albany, Georgia, as the South Georgia Wildcats. The new team had originally been called the Fayetteville Heat, but later changed their name to the Fayetteville Guard. The team started their season 0–5, but went 7–2 in their final nine regular season games, earning a 7–7 record and a playoff berth. The team defeated the Dayton Warbirds in the first round, but lost to the Cincinnati Marshals in the divisional round.
The Guard did better in 2006, posting a 13–1 record in the regular season, then defeating the Lakeland Thunderbolts and River City Rage en route to Indoor Bowl VI, where they lost to the Billings Outlaws.
In August 2006, it was reported that the Guard were moving to the World Indoor Football League. However, the Guard denied these rumors by announcing that they were staying in the NIFL in a press conference two months later. During the 2007 season, the Guard and Wyoming Cavalry organized with owners of other independently owned NIFL teams to ensure they had a complete season, but without the approval of the rapidly falling apart NIFL management, which led to a midseason schedule split between the league-owned teams and the independent teams. Both the Guard and Cavalry were subsequently expelled from the NIFL before the post season. They played against each other in the Budweiser Indoor Football Championship Bowl, where the Guard won 48–34. Both teams joined the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) the following 2008 season.
Force
Following the 2010 AIFA season, the league split into two leagues: the AIFA West and East. The AIFA East, of which Fayetteville was a member, then merged into the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) for the 2011 season . However, a new Fayetteville-based sports marketing group claimed the rights to field a SIFL team in the Fayetteville market and the Guard did not return for the 2011 season. The new team, not affiliated with the Guard or its owners, were called the Fayetteville Force. After a 3–0 start to the 2011 SIFL season, the team collapsed.
The AIFA entered into an asset purchase agreement of selected assets of the Fayetteville Force from Fanteractive, LLC, the Force's parent company, but the AIFA did not purchase the corporation that was operating the Force. Under the agreement the AIFA retained the Force name, logo, likeness, playing equipment, and the artificial turf. The AIFA guaranteed that it would play the remaining four Force games with the Southern Indoor Football League.Letter to the Fans
Due to contractual issues between the previous owner and his players and coaches at the time, the AIFA was unable to take over those contracts. On two-day notice before the Erie away game, the AIFA had to assemble a team of available players from a group of former indoor players and rookies. The AIFA selected as head coach Matt Steeple, a veteran indoor coach from the Indoor Football League for the balance of the 2011 season. The new Fayetteville Force never won a game and has the dubious distinction of setting a record for the largest single-game losing margin and points allowed in the history of indoor football – in any league – following a 0–138 loss to the Erie Explosion on May 21, 2011.Go Erie article
The AIFA reorganized as American Indoor Football (AIF) after the SIFL folded following its lone 2011 season. The Force did not return in 2012 and were replaced the Cape Fear Heroes expansion team in the AIF.
Season-by-season
Results League championsConference championsDivision championsPlayoff berthLeague leader
Season League Conference Division Regular season Postseason results Finish Wins Losses Ties Myrtle Beach Stingrays 2003 NIFL Atlantic Eastern 4th 6 8 0 Myrtle Beach/Carolina Stingrays 2004 NIFL Atlantic Eastern 3rd 5 7 0 Fayetteville Guard 2005 NIFL Atlantic Central 3rd 7 7 0 Won Conf. Quarterfinal 78–63 (Dayton)Lost Con. Semifinal 69–70 (Cincinnati) 2006 NIFL Atlantic Eastern 1st 13 1 0 Won Conf. Semifinal 44–18 (Lakeland)Won Con. Championship 72–70 (River City)Lost Indoor Bowl VI 44–59 (Billings) 2007 NIFL/ Atlantic Eastern 1st 11 0 0 Won Budweiser Indoor Football Championship Bowl 48–34 (Wyoming) 2008 AIFA Eastern East 4th 5 9 0 2009 AIFA South 2nd 8 6 0 Lost Div. Championship 35–45 (Columbus) 2010 AIFA Eastern 2nd 2 12 0 Totals 57 50 0 All-time regular season record (2003–2010) 4 3 —All-time postseason record (2003–2010) 61 53 0 All-time regular season and postseason record (2003–2010) Fayetteville Force 2011 SIFL Eastern Mid-Atlantic 3rd 3 9 0 Totals 3 9 0 All-time regular season record (2011) 0 0 —All-time postseason record (2011) 3 9 0 All-time regular season and postseason record (2011)
Schedules 2005 Date Opponent Result RecordMarch 26 at River City L, 43–46 3,892 0–1April 2 Odessa L, 46–52 2,991 0–2April 9 at Cincinnati L, 54–57 4,208 0–3April 16 Rome L, 57–60 2,828 0–4April 23 at Montgomery L, 20–35 3,965 0–5April 30 Montgomery W, 64–21 — 1–5May 8 at Rome L, 45–48 (OT) 1,250 1–6May 13 at Kissimmee W, 47–34 1,102 2–6May 21 River City W, 60–51 — 3–6May 28 Cincinnati W, 48–34 1,634 4–6June 4 Kissimmee W, 55–14 2,600 5–6June 11 Daytona Beach W, 41–37 4,012 6–6June 18 at SW Louisiana L, 38–53 4,012 6–7June 25 Miami W, 62–2 3,012 7–7 Conference QuarterfinalJuly 9 Dayton W, 78–63 2,180 Conference SemifinalJuly 16 Cincinnati L, 69–70 3,443
2006 Date Opponent Result RecordMarch 25 at Montgomery W, 44–7 2,144 1–0April 1 at Osceola W, 58–55 1,897 2–0April 9 at Florida W, 44–41 — 3–0April 14 at Greensboro W, 45–26 3,218 4–0April 22 Osceola W, 54–51 3,200 5–0April 29 at Lakeland L, 41–60 2,697 5–1May 4 at Charleston W, 62–44 1,800 6–1May 13 Cincinnati W, 70–26 2,097 7–1May 20 Palm Beach W, 59–20 2,000 8–1May 27 Palm Beach W, 70–0 4,185 9–1June 3 Tennessee W, 78–14 2,645 10–1June 10 Greensboro W, 58–40 1,563 11–1June 17 Charleston W, 74–14 1,241 12–1June 24 Montgomery W, 68–14 2,385 13–1 Conference SemifinalJuly 16 Lakeland W, 44–18 3,129 Conference ChampionshipJuly 22 at RiverCity W, 72–70 (OT) 3,223 Indoor Bowl VIJuly 28 at Billings L, 44–59 7,934
2007 Date Opponent Result RecordMarch 31 Columbia W, 69–18 1–0April 14 The Marshals W, 77–14 2–0April 20 at Greensboro W, 60–28 3–0April 28 at The Marshals W, 59–28 4–0May 5 Atlanta W, 64–22 5–0May 26 at Columbia W, 34–24 6–0June 2 Greensboro W, 68–28 7–0June 9 The Marshals W, 91–6 8–0June 23 Columbia W, 108–0 9–0June 30 at Greensboro W, 63–24 10–0July 7 Greensboro W, 47–0 11–0Postseason (independent)July 14 Wyoming W, 48–34
2008 Date Opponent Result RecordMarch 22 at Mississippi L, 34–82 0–1March 30 Augusta L, 14–47 0–2April 13 Florence L, 38–39 0–3April 19 at Columbus L, 16–75 0–4April 26 at Carolina W, 19–18 1–4May 3 at Huntington W, 34–26 2–4May 10 Augusta W, 56–43 3–4May 17 at Reading L, 24–51 3–5May 23 at Canton L, 22–34 3–6May 30 at Florence L, 6–50 3–7June 7 Huntington W, 51–21 4–7June 14 Florida W, 48–34 5–7June 21 Columbus L, 58–59 5–8June 28 Florida L, 41–43 5–9
2009 Date Opponent Result RecordMarch 21 at South Carolina W, 39–18 1–0March 28 Carolina W, 58–32 2–0April 4 at Florence L, 49–50 2–1April 11 at D.C. W, 56–18 3–1April 18 South Carolina L, 48–53 3–2April 25 Columbus W, 41–37 4–2May 2 Erie W, 58–28 5–2May 9 at Reading L, 50–63 5–3May 23 at South Carolina W, 46–34 6–3May 30 Reading W, 57–53 7–3June 6 Florence W, 59–27 8–3June 13 at Columbus L, 43–61 8–4June 20 at Carolina L, 40–45 8–5June 20 Columbus L, 25–44 8–6 Division Championship Columbus L, 35–45
2010 Date Opponent Result RecordMarch 21 at Baltimore L, 0–59 0–1March 27 New Jersey W, 75–15 1–1April 3 at Richmond L, 39–55 1–2April 10 at Harrisburg L, 21–49 1–3April 17 at New Jersey W, 37–19 2–3April 24 Baltimore L, 19–91 2–4May 1 Reading L, 33–62 2–5May 8 at Richmond L, 28–55 2–6May 13 Baltimore L, 34–63 2–7May 22 at Erie L, 52–55 2–8May 29 Harrisburg L, 28–64 2–9June 12 at Reading L, 48–49 2–10June 19 Erie L, 58–65 2–11June 26 Richmond L, 33–56 2–12
2011 Date Opponent Result RecordMarch 18 Carolina W, 44–39 1–0March 27 Harrisburg W, 75–66 2–0April 3 at Trenton W, 56–53 3–0April 9 Columbus L, 29–28 3–1April 16 at Richmond L, 43–61 3–2April 23 Albany L, 40–43 3–3April 29 Trenton L, 41–69 3–4May 7 at Columbus L, 32–81 3–5May 21 at Erie L, 0–138 3–6May 29 at Carolina L, 22–84 3–7June 4 at Alabama L, 12–92 3–8June 11 Richmond L, 66–88 3–9
References
External links Force's 2011 stats