Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL)

Riding on the heels of the successful outdoor North American Soccer League in the late 1970s, three groups (including the NASL) raced to be the first to launch an indoor circuit. After garnering the support of several arena owners, Ed Tepper and Earl Foreman won out, establishing the Major Indoor Soccer League In October, 1977. The MISL would field six teams that would play a 24-game schedule from December, 1978 to March of the following year.

The league differed from its outdoor counterpart not only in the size of its field and some of its playing rules, but also in its emphasis on home-grown talent. From the beginning, the MISL encouraged its teams to feature American lineups by mandating that a certain number of players had to be from North America, though it was a rule often skirted with Canadians, green cards and naturalization.

The league proved to be remarkably successful early on, growing from the six original teams to 14 just four seasons later. The MISL featured franchises in just about every major market in the country at one time or another, and several routinely drew over 10,000 fans per game, outpacing local NBA and NHL clubs. The league also drew attention for its innovative promotional efforts, which were soon copied by their basketball and hockey competition.

The MISL ceased operations in 1992. Several leagues attempted to fill the void left behind, but none met with the same success the MISL enjoyed during the 1980's. Among the leagues that came and went: the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL), the Eastern Indoor Soccer League (EISL), the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL), and the World Indoor Soccer League (WISL). The NPSL re-launched itself as the new MISL in 2001. A recent merger with the World Indoor Soccer League will bring back a national indoor soccer league in 2002, with teams from the WISL joining the MISL.

The United States Indoor Soccer Association provides a detailed history of the sport in the United States.