Slaughter leaves CIFL, joins new 23-team league

So long CIFL.

Hello IFL.

The 2009 Continental Indoor Football League champion, the undefeated Chicago Slaughter, announced Thursday that they will join the ranks of the Indoor Football League for the 2010 season.

The Slaughter, coached by Steve McMichael, will be one of five expansion teams joining the IFL, bringing the total teams in the league to 23 for the upcoming season, which kicks off in February.

The Slaughter, 14-0 last season, will still play its games at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.

"Being part of the IFL will allow us to showcase our team and the talent of our players on a broad stage in a more competitive environment," said Alan Perkins, general manager of the Chicago Slaughter. "We're a championship football team and we are excited about competing on a higher level."

Though the final divisional alignments haven't been announced, the Slaughter may join such teams as Green Bay, LaCrosse and Bloomington (IL) in a new Central Division alignment.

The agreement between the IFL and the Slaughter was reached late last week, according to Slaughter officials. For more information on the league, visit goifl.com.

Earlier today it was reported the the Slaughter was officially suspended by its former league, the CIFL, for failure to meet its financial obligations and breaking league rules by not completing its process for the 2010 season. CIFL ownership approved the action, saying the league needed to move on without the Slaughter.

Perkins preferred to look ahead rather than back.

"We felt, considering our undefeated season, that we wanted to take our guys into a more competitive environment," he said. "It's a move we feel we had to make.

"We've got a premier league; it's clearly a move up."