World Indoor Soccer League

Infobox sports league
logo=Wisllogo.pngpixels=108px
sport=indoor soccer
founded=1998
teams=high of 7
country=USA and MEX
Last champions=Dallas Sidekicks
folded=2001

The World Indoor Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that existed from 1998 to 2001 and consisted of nine teams.

History

After the demise of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, four of its teams decided to create a new indoor league to be called the Premier Soccer Alliance. The teams complemented their schedules with games against international teams. In 1999, two more former CISL teams (the Houston Hotshots and Monterrey La Raza) joined the league, which then changed its name to World Indoor Soccer League.

The name change came about as a result of the "merger" of the US-based PSA and an 'English Indoor Football League'. Originally, there was to be a European Division and a North American Division, with 'London United', 'Manchester Magic', 'Newcastle Geordies' and 'Sheffield Strikers' playing in a European division, but that idea was dropped due to rules conflicts between the existing leagues and lack of permission from The Football Association.

At one point in 2000, the World Indoor Soccer League attempted to be the first U.S. pro sports league to sell the sell naming rights of the league. It was looking to be something like "The Pepsi World Indoor Soccer League." Ultimately, this did not happen. [cite web |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2000/05/15/story3.html?cat=1&id=5075
title=Soccer league to sell naming rights |accessdate=2008-07-26 |date=2000-05-12
publisher=Dallas Business Journal |last=Cawley |first=Rusty]

The WISL folded in December 2001 when Dallas, St. Louis, and San Diego agreed to join the MISL.

WISL Championships

Annual awards

Most WISL Championships Won

Note: In 2001, the championship was a best-of-two series (with a mini-game tie breaker). All other WISL championships were a single game.

Presidents

Gordon Jago 1998-2001

Teams

*Arizona Thunder
*Dallas Sidekicks (formerly of the CISL)
*Houston Hotshots (formerly of the CISL)
*Monterrey La Raza (formerly of the CISL)
*Portland Pythons
*Sacramento Knights (formerly of the CISL)
*St. Louis Steamers
*San Diego Sockers
*Utah Freezz

References