The Racine Raiders board of directors announced the team would be moving from the Gridiron Developmental Football League (GDFL) to The Players Football Association (PFA) beginning with the 2025 season. The announcement was made at the team’s banquet at Roma Lodge on Saturday night and streamed live on the The Rundown podcast, which primarily covers the PFA.

“We’re excited for this new chapter of Racine Raiders football,” said board president Matt Nelson. “We expect to start some quality regional rivalries that will entertain our fans and test our players and coaches.”

The PFA has member organizations in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin with the addition of the Raiders. The PFA features several of the top-ranked teams in the country including the Detroit Ravens, Motor City Rams, Michigan Bills, Northern Kentucky Wolfpack, and Indy Bison. The Motor City Rams won the league in 2024 after ending a 38-game winning streak by the Detroit Ravens in the league championship game, 16-10. The Ravens, Bison, and Rams are all playing in three separate national championship games in January in Florida.

The Raiders spent the past two years in the GDFL which provided more of a national footprint. They won the GDFL Gridiron Bowl national championship both seasons and went undefeated and are currently riding a 27-game winning streak, one of the longest, if not the longest, in the country currently. The Raiders hosted one of the most successful championship games over the past decade of semi-pro football for the GDFL in 2024. with almost 3,000 fans attending in-person or viewing online.

“We liked the national footprint of the GDFL and the opportunity to play for a true national championship through a playoff system,” stated Nelson. “Unfortunately, despite our best efforts and the best efforts of Charles Thompson and the rest of the GDFL leadership team, we just weren’t able to gain enough new members in the Upper Midwest.”

The Raiders have played several teams from the PFA over the past two seasons as they attempted to help build the GDFL in the Upper Midwest. PFA president David Duncan worked closely with the Raiders to help schedule home and road games with PFA teams to help the Raiders fill out a schedule each of the past two years.

“There was a positive relationship in place already from working with Mr. Duncan over the past two seasons,” said Raiders general manager Geoffrey Schick. “We knew what it was like to work with the PFA and know that they have high standards – just like the GDFL – which made this challenging decision a bit of an easier decision.”

The league landscape in the Upper Midwest has changed significantly since the MidStates Football League ceased operations following the 2022 season. The Raiders most competitive games came against teams that were either in the GDFL or the PFA. The PFA was one of three leagues the Raiders board of directors interviewed after the 2022 season and board members were impressed with them during the interview process.

“The PFA was our second choice in 2022,” said Nelson. “Since then, they have taken tremendous strides in the services they offer and they’ve brought on quality staff that provide a lot of consistency in their operations.”

The 2025 Racine Raiders season will begin in May. Fans can find more information on the PFA at https://www.theplayersfootballassociation.com/.