Misl Folded this just came across the wire

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cardshopmd
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Misl Folded this just came across the wire

Post by cardshopmd » Mon Jun 02, 2008 11:12 am

well i expected steve ryan to go , i never thought the entire league would fold the baltimore examiner reported this about 4 hrs ago

how ever ed hale said that the baltimore blast will play next seasion as of friday all plays & coaches have been released from their current contracts

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Post by jwalters » Mon Jun 02, 2008 5:29 pm

I don't really have anything to say except this is just a shame. I have always loved indoor soccer and now it appears that the highest level of the sport in this country is the Pro Arena Soccer League. It just doesn't sound as good as MISSLE.

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Post by stuharry » Mon Jun 02, 2008 5:47 pm

It's not dead yet. They are folding so they can reorganize with a more viable league. As to the PASL, they were supposedly going to have some former MISL cities i. e. St Louis in their league. But not so fast to that idea. Those same cities are now in line to reenter the reorganized MISL. Who knows how all this will pan out when the dust settles in indoor soccer. It was just a few years that multiple leagues consolidated into 1, the MISL. Now the process is starting all over again.

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Too bad

Post by Fez » Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:34 pm

I remember going to Cleveland Force playoff games in the 80s and the arena was SOLD OUT. Amazing how far indoor soccer has fallen. I really like the game (and enjoyed playing indoor soccer in the 80s) and as a fan, its the best we can hope for in a hot city like Phoenix. I'm surprised this happened and will be interested in learning the full story.

Major Indoor Soccer League shuts down




news blurb:

WESTPORT, Conn. (AP) -- The Major Indoor Soccer League has shut down after seven seasons, and is considering restructuring.

The league, which had been in operation since the 2001-02 season and had nine teams in the 2007-08 season, ceased operation last weekend. That came a few days after commissioner Steve Ryan resigned.

Former league chairman John Hantz, owner of the Detroit Ignition, said Monday that the league is considering restructuring that would allow longterm growth and expansion.

In addition to Detroit, the league had teams this season in Baltimore, Chicago, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Newark, N.J., Orlando, Fla., Stockton, Calif., and Monterrey, Mexico.
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Aaronhere
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Reading the Baltimore article

Post by Aaronhere » Mon Jun 02, 2008 7:21 pm

Team owners disbanded the league, and will spend the next two weeks trying to create a successful business plan for a league that has been in flux for several seasons.
“We are going to play next year,” Blast investor/operator Ed Hale said. “But we’re going to reform the league without a bunch of stockholders from cities that were gone five years ago. That was basically to clean things up.”...The league’s owners were confident this past Friday the MISL would not have to fold, but Saturday, the owners decided to shed the excess shareholders —former team owners of defunct franchises — with the goal to streamline a business plan, according to a source close to the situation...The league could add another team in Mexico, and at least one other American city, setting up a Midwest Division and East Coast Division, a source said. By ridding itself of its stockholders in prior league hubs, the MISL would be free to expand to former markets such as San Diego, St. Louis and Cleveland with new ownership, a source said. The league also will look to cut down on unnecessary expenses, particularly by having referees based in league cities.
Sounds to me like this was a housecleaning measure. I think some cities are "reserved" for their old ownership groups, making a new franchise a legal nightmare. I got these entries from Wikipedia.
CLEVELAND - After several years of losing money, the team was placed on inactive status in September 2005 when new owners could not be found.
SAN DIEGO - There are rumors that the team might return but so far, these rumors have not been confirmed.
DALLAS - Although the team has not played since 2004, there have been published rumors ever since about the team's return. So far, these rumors have not panned out.
KANSAS CITY - In September 2005, it was announced that the Kansas City Comets would not play during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons. There remained the possibility that a third Kansas City Comets team would be active for the 2007-2008 MISL season but it never happened.
WICHITA - There is current talk of a Wings revival, possibly by the owners of the Wichita Thunder hockey team (I do not know how accurate this entry is)

Of course, there is the "other" league, which I find to be a bit shaky at this point (but, then aren't all minor leagues these days, it seems):
PROFESSIONAL ARENA SOCCER LEAGUE
Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) will consist of six teams which reside in Dallas, Texas – Houston, Texas – Boulder, Colorado - Fort Collins. Colorado – Stockton, California and Wenatchee, Washington.
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Post by Pounder » Mon Jun 02, 2008 11:43 pm

Dude, slow down.

San Diego, NO. Dallas, really, no. Don't dredge up old teams that died for a reason.

The smart way to do this is EITHER Baltimore to Chicago and places in between, or Cleveland to Wichita and places in between. Keep it compact, bus it. Don't be major unless income allows it. No NHL or NBA arenas.

Just keeping it as compact as my limits makes the remaining owners automatically smarter than the PASL.
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Post by tops804 » Tue Jun 03, 2008 12:57 am

[quote=""Fez""]I remember going to Cleveland Force playoff games in the 80s and the arena was SOLD OUT. Amazing how far indoor soccer has fallen. I really like the game (and enjoyed playing indoor soccer in the 80s) and as a fan, its the best we can hope for in a hot city like Phoenix. I'm surprised this happened and will be interested in learning the full story.[/quote]

[quote=""Pounder""]San Diego, NO. Dallas, really, no. Don't dredge up old teams that died for a reason.

No NHL or NBA arenas.

Just keeping it as compact as my limits makes the remaining owners automatically smarter than the PASL.[/quote]

Keep in mind that in 1987-88 (The last MISL "glory year")
MISL was in 11 United States cities.
NHL was in 13 United States cities.
NBA was still growing and getting richer TV deals.

Even with the problems in some NHL United States markets, it's safe to say
that both other "major" indoor winter leagues left MISL in the dust.

Can indoor soccer go back to basics? Maybe even some old AISA cities? It
can't challenge in major markets, and needs a different marketing scheme.
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Post by Aaronhere » Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:07 am

[quote=""Pounder""]Dude, slow down.

San Diego, NO. Dallas, really, no. Don't dredge up old teams that died for a reason.

The smart way to do this is EITHER Baltimore to Chicago and places in between, or Cleveland to Wichita and places in between. Keep it compact, bus it. Don't be major unless income allows it. No NHL or NBA arenas.

Just keeping it as compact as my limits makes the remaining owners automatically smarter than the PASL.[/quote]


"Dude", I am not dredging up any old teams. I was only making the connection between the comments from the Blast ownership and the fact there are teams out there that are technically still franchises. In fact, if you go to the MISL website, they still have a logo for the St. Louis Steamers.
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Post by jwalters » Tue Jun 03, 2008 2:25 am

This is just a hypothetical comment but what about another summer league. I don't think teams should compete in MLS cities or even USL1 cities but at least a summer league would not have to contend with the NBA and NHL. I mean think about it most teams mainly market to kids and families. You would hopefully get more families to games when kids aren't in school. Another hypothetical is the possibility of playing outdoor "rink" games. For instance the Sacramento Knights had okay attendance but played in the large and expensive ARCO arena. They could instead play outdoors at the 4,000 seat Cal Expo arena and save money. Another city that might work with outdoor rink games is Virginia Beach. The Sportsplex is basically vacant and it could seat between 4 and 6 thousand for rink games on grass. Just an idea.

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Post by SignGuyDino » Tue Jun 03, 2008 2:55 am

Tennis stadiums? That basically guarantees night games but a little rain might make things a little interesting...
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