FARGO — Indoor football has previously been attempted in Fargo without much success.
But Saturday night at Scheels Arena, organizers of the Fargo-IFL Gridiron Classic were given every reason to believe that this time a franchise in the city could be sustainable for years to come.
It was estimated between 1,000 and 1,800 fans ventured out to south Fargo to watch the Sioux Falls Storm play host to the Massachusetts Pirates in an Indoor Football League regular season contest.
When the clock hit triple zeros at the end of the fourth quarter, it was the Pirates coming out with a narrow 43-38 win to move to 5-1 on the season to move into first place in the Eastern Conference while sending the Storm to 0-5.
The bigger picture, however, was that Scheels Arena officials, in conjunction with the dormant Dakota Bucks, are hopeful that Fargo could soon be the future home of the Bucks franchise.
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"I think that this was a good, positive step," said Greg Schuh, general manager of the Dakota Bucks. "I think the fans in Fargo when they do take in a game are going to see that this is really good entertainment. It's great for the family.
"I'm excited. I think things have gone well."
Previously known as the Bismarck Bucks, the team's lease with the Bismarck Event Center expired in 2022, which caused the franchise to sit idle for the last two seasons.
The franchise changed its name to the Dakota Bucks in January as it searches for a future home in the state while pursuing new ownership prospects and partnerships.
Saturday's game between Massachusetts and Sioux Falls at Scheels Arena was a way for officials to test the market.
"This started last summer," said Jon Kram, general manager of Scheels Arena. "That was the first time we made contact and it developed into this game with Sioux Falls and Massachusetts to see what the market thinks of indoor football because it's new to the area."
The Indoor Football League was founded in 2008 when the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football merged. The league currently fields 16 active teams, many in smaller markets similar to Fargo.
Schuh has described the game day experience as "entertainment wrapped around a football game."
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That was evident on Saturday, with those in attendance treated to giveaways, contests, a halftime and postgame concert by local band Tripwire and, of course, a football game that came down to the end.
"If they haven't been to a game, they need to come to a game," Schuh said. "Whether you go down to Sioux Falls or you're not at this one, try and make it to another IFL game because they're really fun."
It's been a busy weekend from the arena side of things, with a Brantley Gilbert concert rocking the venue on Friday night. From there, Schuh said setup for the football game began at 4 a.m. Saturday morning. Scheels Arena will then need to transition back to ice for the Fargo Force Clark Cup playoff series against Sioux City on Sunday and Monday.
Kram said assuming scheduling can be worked out, the venue would welcome indoor football into its event rotation regularly.
"I think we could," Kram said. "If you look at it now, the Force are deep into their playoff run and we found a way to do a concert, an indoor football game and then two (hockey) playoff games.
"I think as long as we're open to it and (IFL officials) are in modifying the schedule, I think it can work."
No decisions are set in stone. Schuh said the IFL needs an answer on the future of the Bucks franchise by the time the IFL National Championship game is played on Aug. 10.
The Bucks have explored other venues within the state, including the Rough Rider Center in Watford City, the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks and the team remains in discussions with the Bismarck Event Center.
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Schuh said he was impressed with Scheels Arena as hosts.
"This building has a lot of the bells and whistles that we like to have," Schuh said. "The big scoreboards, the ability to have a lot of corporate advertising in and around the building, all of the suites are nice to have and the sound systems are good.
"It has a lot of the elements that we've been looking for. Hopefully, from a demographic standpoint, it will work for us."
Kram said the arena is always looking to expand its offerings and while a decision is months away, is open to the idea of the Bucks calling Scheels Arena home.
"We're very open to it," Kram said. "We like the diverse content it brings. It's something different that we've never done. I'd say we had a pretty good showing for the first time ever.
"A lot of questions. People are asking, 'What are the rules? What's it all entail?' But we'd definitely explore having a franchise here and being the venue someone might pick."
Schuh said he had hoped for a larger crowd than the estimated 1,000 to 1,800, but those who were in attendance were energetic and into the game.
"I wanted to see at least 3,000," Schuh said. "But all you can do is promote it, advertise, hope the fans come out and regardless of attendance, we're going to put on a good show.
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"A lot of these fans have never been to an indoor or arena football game. So for them to be excited and into the game ... hopefully they tell other people, 'Hey, I had a good time,' and that's what it's all about."
Asked about competing with other area sporting events in the spring and summer such as the Force, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks and high school events, Kram said he believes there's certainly a fan base out there for indoor football.
"I think there are enough people in the area between Moorhead, West Fargo and Fargo," Kram said. "I think there's a mix for everyone, it's just a matter of finding the right people to come out and who your audience is."
As for the months ahead, Schuh said discussions will take place among the Bucks, Scheels Arena and the IFL.
"The Dakota Bucks' ownership will take a look at what we've done here (tonight) and make a decision by the end of August," Schuh said. "We do want to get (Scheels Arena) involved with our discussions and get their feedback.
"But certainly this has been our focus ... moving the team here in 2025. The facility has been fantastic and I definitely think we're going to make a hopefully positive decision by the end of the summer."
For more information on the Indoor Football League, visit goifl.com.
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