Arena football team accepting ideas for nicknames

Richmond's newest sports franchise is looking for a name.

The AIFA, an indoor football league that plans to move into the Richmond Coliseum next spring, is soliciting ideas from fans on what the team should be called.

Visit aifainrichmondva.com to submit your suggestion.

Whoever suggests the winning name will receive two season tickets to the inaugural season.

The league owns the team, using a business model where it launches the team in Richmond, then seeks to find local ownership to sell the franchise to. An emphasis is also put on local players, and the team will hold open tryouts next winter as the 2010 spring season approaches.

Last week a competing indoor football league, the IFL, also announced plans to move into the area, saying it would field a team at the SportsQuest facility under construction in Chesterfield County. The league, which has its headquarters in Shockoe Bottom, could move in before the 2010 season, and no later than 2011. That team also does not yet have a name. -- Michael Phillips