Sioux Falls Storm announced earlier this week that they would be going dormant for the 2025, marking the 3rd IFL team to go dormant this offseason. It was fairly shocking to see the 11-time league champions make this announcement, just one year after Coach Riggs retired after one of the most dominant runs in professional sports history.
But where things got even more curious when they released their statement on Instagram and on their website.
The Sioux Falls Storm Indoor Football Team announced today that the team will enter dormancy for the 2025 Indoor Football League season. This decision comes after the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center declined to offer a new agreement for the team to play in their facility.
Huh. The Storm had been playing at the Denny since 2015, with the venue opening brand spanking new in 2014. The team was previously playing at Sioux Falls Arena (affectionately referred to as the Storm Shelter), which was originally constructed in 1961 and happened to be directly next door -- literally attached to the building. They've been playing there for 10 years -- and they just didn't offer an agreement?
Yeahhhhh I don't know Jim! Something isn't quite adding up with this.
Reading further into the full statement on the Sioux Falls Storm website:
"We are disappointed by the situation and saddened to step away, even temporarily, from our incredible fans and community," said Owner and Team President, Amber Garry. "Our commitment to Storm Nation remains unwavering, and we look forward to returning stronger than ever for the 2026 season."
"It's been very frustrating to have watched this play out the way it has the past few years.", added Todd Tryon, IFL Commissioner and former Storm owner, "There is too much support and too much history for this team to not be offered a lease. My belief is a solution will be found and we can all witness the comeback story of the Sioux Falls Storm in 2026."
But there has to be reason why they just... didn't offer a lease. It doesn't make sense to have a business relationship for a decade and just not offer any type of lease whatsoever.
Venues typically want events to occupy their space, as that is literally the business model:
Own building
Lease out building for events
Profit
So there has to be something that we don't know. This feels off.
BAH GAWD!
THAT'S THE DENNY SANFORD PREMIER CENTER'S MUSIC!
“I had that meeting with Amber (Amber Garry, Stormer Owner and Team President) from the Storm several months ago, I haven’t heard a peep from her or Todd Tryon,” Krewson said in a phone interview. “I feel that they accepted what their fate was and I’m open to a conversation for the future.”
I'm not gonna lie to you:
I audibly laughed out loud at the egregious use of the word "peep" in that quote lmao.
"I haven't heard a peep" is what you drop when you are truly at wits end with a situation, and Denny Sanford PREMIER Center General Manager Mike Krewson was not having it. But the next quote from the same article was pretty telling:
A major point of the decision is the cost. Krewson stated how the cost of everything is going up right now, such as workers, cleaning and much more. Since the Storm’s attendance numbers are going down, it wasn’t feasible to keep them in the building.
Rising costs makes sense, totally understand that with inflation and cost of living rising over the past couple years. The Storm also had a notably bad year on the field in 2024, but they have been one of the mainstays of the IFL -- and I find it hard to believe that it was by accident. It's rare to see teams at this level last 5+ years, let alone 20+.
But here is what doesn't make sense to me: If the costs were truly the issue, why not at least put an offer on the table that accounts for these costs, thus forcing the Storm's hand and make them say no? If that is the case, why not pass on the costs to the Storm and include it in the lease agreement?
That seems like PR 101 for the venue here.
ENTER EXHIBIT C
GIF would probably make more sense in reverse but whatever
An article from Dakota News Now with direct quotes from former Storm player & coach Kurtiss Riggs:
Riggs said the team was ready to pay for new turf that the venue asked for as long as they had a multi-year lease, something the PREMIER Center was unwilling to offer. He said that from the beginning of the new management group under Mike Krewson in 2019, the PREMIER Center has been outspokenly opposed to sporting events in favor of events they believe can make them more cash.
Something the PREMIER Center was UNWILLING to offer?! Oh shame shame shame Mr. Krewson. At first I felt bad for the Storm, then I felt for the venue, now I am firmly back on #TeamStorm. It seems like Krewson just doesn't like sports. Feel like Jon Gruden would have a term for this.
But worst case scenario, the Storm could hypothetically just go back to their old venue, right? I mean, it is literally right next door.
"Riggs said that the team was hoping to stay in the Sioux Falls Arena, but former Mayor Mike Huether wanted the Storm to be a main community tenant and offered a share in the sale of suites. Riggs said that ownership wanted to be good community partners and followed through, but new management has left them behind."
What a mess. It still feels like there is a lot more to this story that we don't know. It feels like a lot of mudslinging from each side trying to avoid looking like "the bad guy" in this situation.
The Storm had been working with yet another venue, Midco Arena, which is an ice hockey arena on the campus of Augustana University. It apparently came close to being a last minute solution, but there was a code issue where the seat were too high in relation to the dasher boards -- causing a dicey safety situation for players and fans alike.
More information will surely come out in time about this whole debacle, but regardless of what really happened with there negotiations, this much is true:
One of the most consistent and successful franchises in Indoor football history is going dormant in 2025, seemingly due to this venue issue with the Denny & the city of Sioux Falls. Really hoping for the best for the fans, but even more so the staff that the team employed. The Indoor football space is such a volatile space. If it can happen to Sioux Falls, it can happen to anyone. Fingers crossed for a Sioux Falls Storm return in 2026, but if the history of dormancy in arena & indoor football has taught us anything -- it's that it isn't looking good.
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