Indoor football will soon make its return to the area and with it comes a familiar franchise name.
The St. Louis Stampede launches their 16-game campaign in mid-March and all local games will be played at the Family Arena in St. Charles beginning with the home opener set for Saturday, April 6.
The Stampede moniker previously appeared locally for two seasons in the Arena Football League in the mid-1990s. In a stretch that ended in 1996, the team achieved a cumulative 17-11 record and twice appeared in the AFL’s post-season.
The newest incarnation finds the squad as members of the 12-team National Gridiron League, where they will compete in the six-team Western Conference. The NGL’s two-conference inaugural season is concluded with a Championship game held in August.
The Stampede’s upcoming campaign marks the return of indoor football to the St. Louis area since the River City Raiders’ folding following Arena Pro Football’s 2017 season.
Veteran indoor coach Pat Pimmel, who has over thirty years of tenure within the sport on both local and national levels, will come out of retirement to helm the 28-player roster.
According to league insiders, St. Louis is already projected on paper to be a serious contender for the August trophy game based on a strong draft held this past October.
Defensive end Corey Henry, who helped the Sioux Falls Storm win a conference title during the Indoor Football League’s 2017 season, was selected as the franchise’s first overall pick.
Running back Joseph Yearby (University of Miami) and defensive tackle Keenan Mace, a former Raider, rounded out their top three.
In fact, numerous local players that were a part of the Raiders’ lone season are already competing for coveted spots on the roster.
Western Conference competitors includes teams from Kansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas. The Stampede will reveal their eight-game home schedule shortly.
Season tickets packages begin at $96 and are available at their website.
Stampede President Kallie C. Klein is scheduled to be a guest on Arch City Media’s live webcast that can be seen on Facebook Live Thursday beginning at 7 pm.
