Professional Indoor Soccer

Indoor soccer, or arena soccer, is one of the most popular youth sports in the US, Mexico and Canada. Professional indoor soccer has been around since the 1970s and 1980s. Indoor soccer leagues have been formed, merged, and dissolved many times since then. There are indoor soccer leagues for kids, youth, and adults, for both men and women. 

Indoor soccer leagues are competitions between indoor soccer teams organized by local clubs, national or international governing bodies, or independent operators. 

Brief History of Professional Indoor Soccer

Indoor soccer developed more or less out of necessity. In countries like the US and Canada extremely cold weather prevents people from playing outside on a normal soccer pitch. Players are thus faced with the choice of either dropping training for a few months or training inside in smaller spaces. Around the 1930s, indoor soccer started to take its modern professional form, with rules and inter-team championships. 

Weather may have been the reason for the popularity of indoor soccer in the US but in Brazil, Spain, Mexico and others, kids and young men who wanted to play soccer but were unable to do so because of a lack of soccer facilities, developed a furious version of soccer called futsal. Futsal is another indoor version of soccer that could be played in a much smaller space. 

There are a few differences in rules of indoor soccer, depending upon the authority being followed. With these few differences in rules, all versions of indoor soccer follow the same basic idea. They are all played in a smaller area, with a fewer number of players (3 – 7). Other than indoor vs outdoor soccer, the biggest difference you may find is between futsal and indoor soccer.

Former US Indoor Soccer Leagues

Professional indoor soccer in the US has a history that dates back to the 1970s. It has had its ups and downs over the years, with several leagues forming and folding, but there have always been die-hard fans of the game who have ensured that indoor soccer is here to stay in the US.

1. MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League)

The MISL was the first professional indoor soccer league in the United States and was the premier league in the country for much of its existence. It featured many of the best indoor soccer players in the world and was known for its high-scoring, fast-paced style of play. The league was home to several successful teams, such as the San Diego Sockers and the Baltimore Blast, and was credited with popularizing the sport of indoor soccer in the United States.

In many ways the MISL can be considered the first professional indoor soccer league; at the very least, it was the first to gain any traction with the growing number of fans. The MISL was founded in 1978 and folded in 1992 mostly due to financial struggles.

During these 14 years it held 14 league championships. During its peak 17 teams were competing in the league. The average attendance for these matches was 8000-10,00. Their highest attendance was recorded for the match between Philadelphia Fever and New York Arrows, with a recorded crowd of 18,276 fans.

In the following years, the MISL was re-formed twice and dissolved once. In 2014, the MISL merged with Premier Arena Soccer League to form the current Major Arena Soccer League.

2. (National Professional Soccer League)

In the years that followed, several other indoor soccer leagues were formed, including the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL), which operated from 1990 to 2001. 

The NPSL was formed in 1990 by several teams that left the MISL, it was known for its strong ownership, steady financial footing, and the high level of play. The league was home to several successful teams, such as the Cleveland Crunch and the Kansas City Attack, and it featured many of the best indoor soccer players in the United States and Canada.

3. CISL (Continental Indoor Soccer League)

The Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) was a league that ran from 1993 to 1997. The league was founded by a group of teams that left the original Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) in order to form their own league. The CISL was made up of teams from cities across the United States, including Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Diego. 

The league was home to several successful teams, such as the Dallas Sidekicks and the San Diego Sockers. The CISL was one of the most successful indoor soccer leagues in the United States, and it attracted large crowds and generated significant revenue. However, it merged with the Western Soccer League in 1998 to form the WISL.

4. (World Indoor Soccer League)

The World Indoor Soccer League (WISL) was active in the United States from 1998 to 2001. It formed as an alternative to the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) which was considered the premier indoor soccer league in the country at the time. The WISL was made up of teams from cities across the United States, including Seattle, San Diego, and Baltimore.

The league featured a unique format, with teams playing a combination of traditional indoor soccer games and six-a-side games, known as “Arena Soccer”. This format was intended to appeal to both traditional indoor soccer fans and fans of the more fast-paced, high-scoring arena soccer. However, the WISL struggled to attract fans and generate revenue, and it struggled to compete with the NPSL for players, media attention, and sponsorship dollars. The league folded after three seasons, in 2001.

5. EISL (Eastern Indoor Soccer League)

The Eastern Indoor Soccer League (EISL) was a league that operated from 1997 to 1998 having formed from 7 teams that had left the NPSL. The EISL was based on teams from Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Richmond.

The EISL was known for its high-scoring, fast-paced style of play and featured many of the best indoor soccer players in the country.  They struggled financially, however, and despite efforts to merge with other leagues, it folded after three seasons.

Current US Indoor Soccer Leagues

Currently the major national level indoor soccer leagues of the US are:

• Major Arena Soccer League
• Premier Arena Soccer League
• National Indoor Soccer League
• Western Indoor Soccer League

There are numerous local amateur and professional leagues based in major cities.

1. WISL (Western Indoor Soccer League)

The Western Indoor Soccer League (WISL) was created in 2011 by a group of teams that left the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) due to disagreements over the direction of the league. 

The league is considered as a semi-professional league, with a relatively small number of teams, where most of the teams are made of local players, and the budget of the teams is relatively low compared to other professional leagues.

Current teams in the WISL are

• Bellingham United
• Everett City FC
• Oly-Pen Force
• Oly Town Artesians
• Portland Blacktails
•  Snohomish Skyhawks
• Tacoma Stars Reserves

2. MASL (Major Arena Soccer League)

The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is considered the premier professional indoor soccer league running in the United States and Mexico. The league was formed in 2014 by a merger between PASL and MISL.

The MASL operates with a relatively high level of professionalism, and it features teams with a wide range of budgets and player skill levels. The league has a regular season that runs from October to March, followed by playoffs and the Ron Newman Cup. 

Currently, the following teams are playing the MASL:

• St. Louis Ambush
• Baltimore Blast
• Utica City FC
• Kansas City Comets
• Harrisburg Heat
• Milwaukee Wave
• Monterrey Flash
• Texas Outlaws
• Chihuahua Savage
• Dallas Sidekicks
• San Diego Sockers
• Tacoma Stars
• Empire Strykers

3. NISL (National Indoor Soccer League)

The National Indoor Soccer League is relatively new. It was founded in January 2021, and started its first season in December 2021. It has divisions for men and women in each city and has provisions for holding double matches (one for the men’s team and one for the  women’s team) on all game nights.

Teams playing in the 2023-24 season are

• Central Florida Crusaders (M / F)
• Albany Aces (M / F)
• Fayetteville Fury (M / F)
• Foundry FC (M / F)
• Memphis Americans (M / F)
• Magic City SC (M / F)
• Tampa Bay Strikers (M / F)

Indoor Soccer League Scoring System

Most indoor soccer leagues use the same scoring system as outdoor soccer, that is, one point for each goal scored. Most of the time draws are not allowed and the game is extended for a few minutes for a tiebreaker goal. 

Due to the nature of the game, however, a lot more goals are scored in indoor soccer compared to regular soccer. The high frequency of goals can be attributed to the small field of play. Another one of the reasons for the high number of scores are the rebound goals which is the way most goals are scored in indoor play. 

Indoor Soccer League Sponsors

Indoor soccer leagues in the United States may have a variety of sponsors, including both corporate sponsors and local businesses. These sponsorships can take the form of financial support, advertising, and/or in-kind donations.

Some examples of corporate sponsors of indoor soccer leagues in the past include:

• Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) has had sponsorship deals with companies such as Adidas, Budweiser, and Pepsi.
• Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL) had in the past sponsorship deals with some companies such as Nike, Gatorade, and Under Armour.

However, the sponsorship can vary depending on the league, the teams, and the location. Some teams may also have individual sponsors, in addition to league sponsors.

Frequently Asked Questions