EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Since the Ford Center opened in 2011, the return of professional indoor football to the city always remained a possibility.

Scott Schoenike, the executive director of the $127 million downtown arena, had been in conversations with several leagues the past few years but waited for the right match. He and the city believe they have found one in the National Gridiron League.

Founded last year, the NGL quietly awarded Evansville a franchise in mid-August and, on Tuesday morning, held a news conference at the multi-purpose facility to announce the Indiana Firebirds.

“Really, what excited me was the setup of the league,” Schoenike said. “What the plan was, some of the mistakes they talked about from other leagues and how they were fixing them. They were the first league we’ve went into further phases (of discussion with) and finally we got them in here as a tenant.”

The NGL will kick off its inaugural season March 15, 2019, more than a decade after the Evansville BlueCats began its last spring as a franchise.

Unlike the BlueCats, who were owned by a quartet of the Voliva family, the Firebirds and 11 other teams will be owned and controlled by the NGL. Its president, Joe McClendon III, said they will look for local ownership groups to sell minority stakes in the team and are involved in conversations to do so with one potential investor.

“With the single-entity model we’re going with, the league is going to provide the community involved a lot more comfort in terms of the hires, players and business that’s coming to town every week,” McClendon said. “It gives investors a lot more comfort in what they’re putting their money behind and really fits today’s investor. They want to know their product is going to be ran and conducted well.”

The NGL will oversee the talent and entertainment aspects on the field while the Ford Center handles other operations related to the facility.

McClendon said his primary goal for the league is to create a family entertainment option that cities can be proud of. The hope is that it will lead to a strong gate, which creates stability. Volatility is the biggest challenge for all professional indoor football leagues.

Since 1998, there have been more than 20 defunct leagues that played an average of 3 ½ years before it folded or merged with others. Some never played a single game.

Currently, there are six others which are active: Arena Football League (since 1987), Indoor Football League (2008), Legends Football League (2009), Champions Indoor Football (2015), National Arena League (2017) and the American Arena League (2018).

McClendon talked briefly about why he thinks some leagues, and teams like the BlueCats, were set up to fail.

“It may have been some failure on the league level and not allowing those franchises to be as successful as they could’ve been,” he said. “I heard positives about the ownership group (the Volivas), but if you don’t get the cooperation from the league it really hurts you.

“I think our (single-entity) model works better for minor league football and what we can get accomplished. We’re hoping to bring stability this market really needs.”

Steve Schaefer, the board chairman of the Evansville Sports Corp., believes the addition of the Firebirds is further evidence of a re-energized downtown and the growing reputation of the sports’ fan base.

“We view the addition of arena football as a result of hosting successful collegiate and professional sporting events that have proven the strength of our sports market,” he said.

Like any other event, Schaefer said, much of the Firebirds’ success will come down to buy-in from the community.

“It is important to remember that fans need to come out and buy tickets to ensure that these events continue here in Evansville and do not take their business elsewhere.”

Combines are taking place across the country in search for the best players available.

There will be a three-round draft on Oct. 1, followed by a free-agency period. Season tickets will go on sale shortly after that. The Firebirds will hold mini-camps in December and January with training camp beginning in February leading into the season opener in March.

Follow Courier & Press reporter Pat Hickey on Twitter: @patmhickey.