Professional indoor football is returning to Madison.

The Wisconsin Wolfpack will join the Continental Indoor Football League next season, league officials will announce at a news conference Wednesday.

"Madison seemed to be a good fit," Rock River Raptors general manager Dave DeSanti said Tuesday. "The opportunity came up to add another team. We looked at a couple different cities and Madison looked like the best place."

The same ownership group will own the Raptors and the Wolfpack.

Fifteen teams were in the CFL this past season, although the team in Rochester (N.Y.) was suspended. CIFL teams are located in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

The 12-week regular season starts in March and ends in May, with the playoffs running though the end of June. Madison will likely play in the same division as Milwaukee, Chicago and Rock River, which is based in Rockford, Ill.

The Wolfpack will play their home games at the Dane County Coliseum and will hold a tryout in January. They have yet to hire coaches.

DeSanti expects a lot of players to be interested in joining the Wolfpack.

"There is a huge talent pool to choose from in Wisconsin with all of the great college programs in the area," he said. "And I'm sure they will look all over the country for players to add to the team."

The Madison Mad Dogs played in the Professional Indoor Football League and the Indoor Football League from 1998 to 2000. The IFL was sold after the 2000 season and the Mad Dogs were disbanded.

"I know Madison has had a team before and they drew well," DeSanti said. "It was a league issue, not a team one. They supported that team and I think they will support this one as well."

DeSanti also thinks there is enough interest for an indoor football team in a college city.

"This is a Badger town and we know that," he said. "We look forward to working with the university and not against them. We do think there is a market here and that the people of Madison will support us."