DES MOINES, IA. – The Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League will get a jump on the 2012 season, when they take on the Chicago Rush in a pre-season exhibition on Saturday, February 25.  The game will be played at the I-Wireless center in Moline, IL, former home of the Quad-City Steamwheelers.   This will be the second straight season that the Barnstormers will play an exhibition game at the I-Wireless center.  

“This game will give, not only our fans the first look at their 2012 Rush, but will also give the coaching staff the opportunity to evaluate our talent in a game situation,” said Rush head coach Bob McMillen. “We have always had a great rivalry with the Barnstormers so this should be an exciting game and a great opportunity for our fans to see some of our new players in action.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST for this first of three meetings between these Central Division rivals in 2012. The Rush defeated the Barnstormers in both of their 2011 regular season games last year.  Mini-camp opens for the Rush on February 15th with training camp scheduled to begin on February 18th. The Rush will open their home season at the Allstate Arena at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 10th against the Tampa Bay Storm. 

“We are very excited to see our players in live game action prior to the beginning of the 2012 season.  This will allow us to evaluate our talent and will help us finalize our regular season roster, along with giving us the ability to market our team to fans in the Quad-Cities area”, stated Barnstormers Head Coach Mike Hohensee. The Barnstormers are scheduled to open training camp on February 18.

Individual tickets for the contest will go on sale this Saturday, January 28 at 10am.  Ticket prices are $10, $15 and $30 and are available at the I-wireless Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 800-745-3000, and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.  Fans can receive a $5.00 per ticket discount by using the code “AFL”.