Professional sports entertain fans and boost economic impact by creating jobs, increasing consumer spending, and increasing tax revenue. Beginning in late 2024, four new professional sports teams will give residents more choices in terms of watching live sports: Indy Fuel hockey, Fishers Freight indoor football, Indy Ignite volleyball, and Hoosier State Instigators basketball.
The Indy Fuel, Fishers Freight and Indy Ignite will anchor at the Fishers Event Center upon its completion in November 2024. Indy Fuel, the ECHL hockey team, previously called the Indiana Farmers Coliseum home since 2014.
The season begins in October with the team starting on the road, and the home opener isn’t until December 6. The Indy Fuel team is excited to have the newest facility in the ECHL to entertain fans.
“This move to Fishers will give fans an elevated experience, from food and beverage to parking to entertainment, and it will give them more access than ever before,” says Joe Zollo, manager of marketing and digital media. “We loved the Coliseum, but the move to Fishers opens up hockey to even more of Indianapolis and the northeast side.”
Fishers Freight Football will kick off its season in March 2025 in the Indoor Football League. The team will play eight regular-season games at home and 16 games total. Indiana Football Club LLC owns Fishers Freight, with majority Owner Jim Hallett. Hallett is also the owner of Indiana Hockey Club, the group overseeing and managing the Indy Fuel of the ECHL.
“The Fishers Freight will be the 17th team in the Indoor Football League,” Zollo says. “It’s an eight-on-eight league played on a 50-yard field, with 10-yard end zones. So, it’s the same game of football with a few little different nuances with it being indoors.”
Indy Ignite, led by President Mary Kay Huse, is set to bring the world of women’s volleyball to the local stage in January 2025. The team was officially formed last summer by Team Owners Jim Schumacher and Don Hutchinson, who are passionate about bringing professional volleyball to the United States. Their belief in the sport’s potential, especially in Indiana, where there is a strong community of clubs, players and families dedicated to the sport, is the driving force behind the team.
“Launching the Indy Ignite is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revolutionize the sports industry as we know it,” Huse says. “It’s a real honor to get to build this team and the culture around it. I grew up in Lebanon, Indiana, where I first fell in love with sports. Indiana has long been known for basketball and racing. We’re on a mission to add volleyball to that list.”
The Hoosier State Instigators will bring their athletic talents to Best Choice Fieldhouse in October. Head Coach Corey Kern says the team loves this new home court because it allows them to present a unique brand of professional sports. With only 150 to 250 tickets available for each game, each fan will have a front-row, floor-side seat. Fans will be given direct access to the athletes after every home game, and they even allow kids to shoot hoops on the court during half-time. Kern says the experience will bring fans closer to the team and athletes than ever before.
“The Instigators were founded last summer and played their first season during the 2023-2024 season in Clinton, Indiana,” Kern says. “Our home gym was the Clinton Community Recreation Center. Last spring we met with Joe Newman, the CEO of the ABA, and fell in love with the league’s vision and its consistency, which has existed in its current iteration since 2000. The ABA is a great opportunity for us to build the foundation of our business model to give fans more control than any other franchise, while also showcasing a fun and exciting brand of basketball with remarkable athletes. Our fans at the time agreed and voted for us to proceed.”
The best way for Fishers residents to get involved and support each team is by engaging with their social media accounts and, of course, purchasing tickets for games. The amount of pride, revenue and fun these teams can bring to Fishers is substantial – a fact that isn’t lost on Mayor Scott Fadness.
“When we had the vision to build the Event Center, those early conversations centered around leading the metro area on world-class entertainment, bringing the community together and building on the brand of Fishers as a top destination in the country,” Fadness says. “Adding three professional sports teams at the caliber they perform to the list of tenants at the Event Center not only adds to the credibility of the facility, but elevates the entire experience of living and visiting Fishers. I’m not sure it gets much better than this when it comes to being proud of this place we get to call home.”
