MISL JOINS U.S. SOCCER FEDERATION

League becomes voting member of Federation’s professional division

 

(Westport, Conn., August 15, 2002) – Major Indoor Soccer League Commissioner Steve Ryan announced today that the League has joined the United States Soccer Federation – the governing body for the sport of soccer in the United States. The Federation’s National Council unanimously approved the MISL’s membership on August 9 at U.S. Soccer’s Annual General Meeting in San Francisco. The MISL is affiliated through the Federation’s professional division and holds voting rights in all of the organization’s elections.

“Since the MISL’s launch in August of 2001, we have worked diligently to strengthen the League and raise its status in the soccer world,” Commissioner Ryan stated. “By joining the U.S. Soccer Federation, the MISL continues to fortify its position as the single major league of professional indoor soccer throughout North America. We are pleased to be part of the Federation and look forward to working with our new partners in growing the sport of soccer in the United States.”

In addition to Federation voting rights, the MISL’s membership provides the League with access to sanctioned U.S. Soccer referees. Membership also provides referee assignment, training, and assessment programs, which will be coordinated through MISL Director of Officials Herb Silva.

All MISL players will also be registered with U.S. Soccer. The Federation will provide assistance in this process while providing confirmation on player contract status with both domestic and international players. Additionally, U.S. Soccer will provide a governance system for the MISL in relation to the rules and regulations of FIFA – the international governing body for soccer.  

“Indoor soccer has been an important part of the landscape of soccer in the U.S. across the last 20 years,” said U.S. Soccer Secretary General Dan Flynn. “The MISL has done an excellent job of bringing the sport of indoor soccer under one professional umbrella and their membership standing within the U.S. Soccer Family is a good indicator of their success.”

As the governing body of soccer in all its forms in the United States, the U.S. Soccer Federation has helped chart the course for the sport in the USA for 89 years. In that time, the Federation’s mission statement has been very simple and clear: to make soccer, in all its forms, a preeminent sport in the United States and to continue the development of soccer at all recreational and competitive levels. To that end, the sport’s growth in the past 20 years has been nothing short of remarkable, with U.S. Soccer managing 11 different national teams, from Under-16 Boys’ and Girls’ teams up through the Men’s and Women’s World Cup sides. In the 1990s, U.S. soccer served as the host federation for the World Cup USA 1994, the highest attended event in FIFA history, and as the host federation for the most successful women’s sporting event in history – the Women’s World Cup 1999. Founded in 1913, U.S. Soccer has the largest membership among U.S. Olympic Committee national governing bodies.

The Major Indoor Soccer League, launched in August of 2001, is a single-entity organization featuring a coast-to-coast presence with eight teams located across the United States. The MISL is the single major league of indoor soccer and will open its

2002-03 season on Saturday, September 28. For more information on the MISL, visit the League’s website at www.MISL.net.

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