MUSKEGON – The good news is that the West Michigan Ironmen arena football team is going to have a 2026 season, beginning on Saturday, Jan. 10 with a home game against the Michigan Falcons.

That’s actually pretty amazing, considering that the Ironmen’s storage trailer, which contained all of the team’s game equipment, was stolen in the early morning hours of Dec. 26.

The bizarre theft led to some real uncertainty about whether enough of the equipment could be replaced on time for the season opener.

It also led Ironmen owner Mario Flores, who was already frustrated over the very early start to the 2026 season that was dictated by the city of Muskegon, to wonder if it might be better to skip the season altogether.

But by Monday afternoon, team officials learned that all of the most important equipment – particularly quality helmets – can be replaced on time, and they officially announced that the season is a definite go.

More than anything, Flores said he didn’t want to disappoint the large and enthusiastic fan base that the Ironmen have built over the years, or the corporate sponsors who have loyally supported the team.

“When I first took over the team, average attendance was less than 800 per game, and we’re averaging over 2,300 per game now,” Flores said. “Every other team we play against says we have the best fans. Our fans are like family, and that means a lot to me. The Ironmen set the standard in our league, and it all starts with our fans.”

Holiday theft caught on video

The Ironmen’s equipment trailer was stolen from the parking lot of the local VanDyk Mortgage office at 5906 Commerce Center Drive in Fruitport Township at 4:40 a.m. on Dec. 26, according to video footage.

Flores, manager of the local VanDyk Mortgage branch, said team personnel have been moving the trailer back and forth between his office and the team’s practice site at MSA Sporthouse in Norton Shores in recent weeks, as the Ironmen prepared for the season.

The equipment was stored in the trailer due a lack of space at Muskegon’s Trinity Health Arena, where the Ironmen play their home games.

The video camera recorded one person, driving a black Dodge Ram pickup truck, get out of the vehicle, hook the trailer up and drive it away.

The video also revealed the same vehicle driving around the VanDyk parking lot hours earlier, at round 10:20 p.m. on Christmas night. Police are attempting to discern a license plate number from the video, and identify the person who stole the trailer.

Anyone with information about the theft is encouraged to contact the Fruitport Township Police Department at  (231) 865-8477.

Flores discovered the trailer missing around 8:30 a.m. on the 26th, when he arrived at work.

Flores has no idea why anyone would want to steal a trailer full of the team’s football equipment. The trailer was not decorated or marked in any way to indicate any connection with the Ironmen.

He said he can only speculate about the motivation, and wonders if someone assumed there was a different type of material stored inside.

“I figured it was stolen right away when I pulled in,” Flores said. “We didn’t have anything scheduled for the team, so there was no reason why anybody in our organization would take it.

“There are a lot of theories. Someone from out of town might have assumed that there was valuable construction equipment in there and peeled it. They wouldn’t have known until they got into it.”

The trailer and its contents had a total value of about $30,000, according to Flores. While all of the equipment in the trailer was important, the biggest worry surrounded the quick replacement of the team’s helmets.

“It’s basically all of our equipment – helmets, pads, sponsorship banners, first down markers – all of our game day stuff,” Flores said. “It’s all insured, but there is no quick replacement for this stuff. We knew we needed helmets right away.”

Ironmen General Manager Nate Smith solved the most immediate problem by spending a few days on the phone with various vendors and arranging for new helmets to be available on time for the first game.

“Most of the helmet companies are busy with reconditioning right now, and inventories are low,” Smith said. “I had a lot of phone calls back and forth. We could have found cheap helmets, but not necessarily the best quality, and we weren’t going to put our players out there in those. We needed to secure quality helmets.”

Another concern was storage for the replacement equipment, but Johnson Auto Sales, a respected longtime dealership in Fruitport Township, helped the Ironmen arrange a quick purchase of a cargo van to store the equipment and transport it to road games.

“We are going to play, only because Nate was able to line up 28 brand new helmets and shoulder pads that will be here on time, and Johnson Auto Sales came through with a great package for us,” Flores said. “If there were no helmets, we may have had to postpone the first few games.”

While the Ironmen definitely took a major hit, they were overdue for new helmets, shoulder pads and uniforms, anyway, Flores said. So overall, the situation is sort of giving the organization an opportunity for a fresh start, he said.

“Taking this kind of hit and bouncing back makes me feel more proud of this organization than ever before,” he said. “We are resilient, just like the people of Muskegon, and when we get punched in the face we bounce back stronger.”

Moving forward, despite scheduling issues

Flores admits that, for a few days following the theft, he wondered about playing this season, and about the long-term future of the team.

A year ago, after the death of his mother, he openly talked about his desire to slow down, simplify his life, and perhaps find a new owner for the team.

More recently, Flores has been frustrated with the city of Muskegon – which owns Trinity Health Arena – because the Ironmen are being forced to start the season much earlier than in previous years and play all of their home games by the middle of the season. The team will also be limited to two Saturday night home games, when crowds are typically the largest.

The city limited most of the team’s home date options to January and February, according to Flores, so they will play three home games (including two non-league games) by Jan. 30. The rest of the American Indoor Football league will not start play until late January or early February.

Last year the Ironmen played their home opener on Feb. 14. In the three prior seasons, they played their first home game in March or April.

The Ironmen will have to play the last half of their schedule – four league games between March 21 and April 25 – on the road.

The very early schedule has posed problems for the team in a number of ways, according to Flores.

For one thing, the NFL and college football playoffs will still be going on, attracting local television viewers and probably keeping some fans from attending Ironmen games. In the past that wasn’t an issue, because most Ironmen games were played after the pro and college seasons ended.

The earlier schedule has also caused budgeting issues for some of the Ironmen’s crucial corporate sponsors, Flores said.

The city also insisted that the Ironmen play most of their home games on Fridays or Sundays, when crowds are traditionally smaller, according to Flores. Only two of the six home games this year will be played on a Saturday.

The Ironmen pose after winning their league title last season.

The Ironmen compete with the Muskegon Lumberjacks, a junior hockey team, and the Muskegon Risers, a semipro soccer team, for winter weekend home dates, and Flores thinks his team is getting the short end of the deal.

Despite all of those issues, Flores said Ironmen fans have always been extremely loyal, and he believes the vast majority will come out for the games like they always have.

“I 100 percent believe that, despite the different game days and the early schedule, our fans will show up strong and be committed to this team, just like they have been since Day 1,” he said.