The Indoor Football League (IFL) Bay Area Panthers has chosen the City of Morgan Hill as their practice location for the 2023 season. The IFL is the largest and most prominent indoor football league in the United States. The Bay Area Panthers, formerly based in the East San Francisco Bay Area, will play fifteen games in 2023, with seven home games at the [CORRECTED] SAP Center in San Jose, California.

The Panthers’ practice program moves approximately 25 players, eight coaches, and the team’s operational headquarters to Morgan Hill for the season, taking place March through August. The team and staff will use the Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Center (MHOSC) fields and parking lot, Aquatics Center, Centennial Recreation Center, hotels, meeting spaces, apartments, office space, and provide local jobs. Visit Morgan Hill, the City’s Recreation and Economic Development Departments, and the MHOSC began facilitating site tours and negotiations with the Bay Area Panthers in October 2022.

Promotional benefits for the Morgan Hill host organizations are part of the partnership with the Bay Area Panthers, including radio, television and on-field advertising, group tickets, and digital media collaboration. The hosting arrangement also entails engagement opportunities for local businesses and organizations, such as sponsoring team meals, special events, game night promotions, player appearances, youth programs, and volunteering.

“This partnership is possible thanks to a collaboration between Visit Morgan Hill, and the Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Center, and the City of Morgan Hill. We are thrilled to have the Bay Area Panthers choose Morgan Hill for their practice location and are honored to support the Panthers for a successful season,” said Public Services Director Chris Ghione. “Morgan Hill’s desirable civic amenities and supportive community network make us an ideal home base for the Bay Area Panthers,” shared Krista Rupp, Executive Director of Visit Morgan Hill. She added, “Their decision to move here reinforces Morgan Hill as a preeminent regional sports destination.”

Excitement for the 2023 season builds with the confirmed return of the Bay Area Panthers head coach Darren Arbet, Arena Football Hall of Famer. Morgan Hill community members will have the opportunity to “Meet the Coach” at a free welcome event hosted by the City of Morgan Hill in partnership with Visit Morgan Hill, the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce, and the MHOSC. The event will take place at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center on Thursday, January 26, at 5:30 p.m. There will be a season preview, live music, a prize drawing, light refreshments, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. For more event information, please visit the event calendar at www.visitmorganhill.org.