Home		Wikipedia (EISL) American Soccer History Archives

Will Birmingham join the Eastern Indoor Soccer League?

September 23, 1997
Having just completed its first season, the Eastern Indoor Soccer League is looking to expand and Birmingham could be a prime target.

"We would like to get a team in Birmingham next year," said Brett Davidson, a soccer operations assistant for the EISL.

The league is considering at least six cities for expansion in time for the 1998 season.

The EISL has looked at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center as home field for the local team. "It's a little big, but I think it's feasible. The key is the right kind of ownership," said Davidson.

The league has contacted Art Clarkson, owner of the East Coast Hockey League's Birmingham Bulls, about being an owner but Clarkson is not interested right now. "I think it (indoor soccer) is a great game. But at this point, I don't believe I have much of an interest in it," Clarkson said.

The league already has a team in Alabama, the Huntsville Fire. That franchise began the season as the Daytona Beach Speed Kings but could not garner local fan support there. The team was sold and moved to Huntsville after a few weeks into the inaugural season.

The EISL's Commissioner, John MacKenzie, says the league wants to put teams in cities with existing minor league hockey teams, preferably with the same owner for both.

The EISL is a regional developmental indoor soccer league and the first indoor minor league soccer circuit.

The teams play with six on a side, 5 field players and a goalie. The playing surface is 200 by 85 feet and the goal is 14 by 8 feet. There are three 20 minute periods in each game and substitutions are on the fly, similar to hockey. The regular season will typically be 24 games.

The league's regular season is played from May or June to August with post-season play in September.

May 1998

			1998                            Eastern Indoor Soccer League
xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx
	Baton Rouge Bombers		Huntsville Fire		Lafayette SwampCats		Mississippi Beach Kings		Pensacola Flyers
	Savannah Rug Ratz		Tallahassee Scorpions

Epilogue
Despite their hopes of expansion, the Eastern Indoor Soccer league did not add any new teams for their second season.

While they were able to complete their second season, but with mounting financial losses, the league was forced to close its doors on December 31, 1998.

			Teams of the                            Eastern Indoor Soccer League
xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx
	Baton Rouge Bombers 1997 to 1998		Columbus Comets 1997		Daytona Beach Speed Kings 1997		Huntsville Fire 1997 to 1998		Lafayette SwampCats 1997 to 1998
	Mississippi Beach Kings 1998		Pensacola Flyers 1998		Savannah Rug Ratz 1997 to 1998		Tallahassee Scorpions 1997 to 1998		Tupelo Hound Dogs 1997

Contact Gene Crowley
Last update: June 30, 2025