The Eastern Indoor Soccer League (EISL) was an American professional regional

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor socc ...

league. The league featured teams from the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

. The regular seasons were played from May to August with post-season play in September. The EISL lasted two seasons before folding.

1997 season

Huntsville began the season as the Daytona Beach Speed Kings. CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Lafayette 12, Baton Rouge 9

1998 season

Before the season, the Tupelo team moved to Pensacola, Florida, and Columbus moved to Biloxi, Mississippi. SEMI-FINALS: Lafayette over Baton Rouge 2 games to 0; Mississippi over Huntsville 2 games to 1.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Lafayette 10, Mississippi 9

Teams

Baton Rouge Bombers

The

Baton Rouge Bombers The Baton Rouge Bombers were an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Bombers played in the Eastern Indoor Soccer League during both of the league's seasons from 1997 to 1998. They played their home games ...

were based in the city of

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...

and played their home games in the

Baton Rouge River Center Arena The Raising Cane's River Center Arena (originally the Riverside Centroplex Arena and commonly known as the River Center Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the United States. The arena can be combined with the exhibition ...

. The Bombers played a total of 52 games winning 32, one via shootout, and losing 20, one via shootout. They scored a total of 689 points and allowed a total of 566 points and notched 96 total points in standings out of a possible 156 points.

Columbus Comets

The

Columbus Comets The Columbus Comets are a women's professional American football team based in Columbus, Ohio. They play in the Women's Football Alliance. The Comets played in the National Women's Football Association from their inception in 2003 until 2008 (i ...

were based in the city of

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

. They only played during the 1997 season before moving to

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...

, for the 1998 season as the

Mississippi Beach Kings The Mississippi Beach Kings were an indoor soccer team based in Biloxi, Mississippi, United States. They played their games in the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. They were members of the Eastern Indoor Soccer League and played only during the 1998 ...

. The team played 24 games and finished the season with a record of 3 wins, 21 losses, and 3 shootout losses for 12 points.

Huntsville Fire

Founded as the Florida-based Daytona Beach SpeedKings in 1997, after 8 games the team was sold, relocated, and renamed. The

Huntsville Fire The Huntsville Fire was an American professional indoor soccer team based in Huntsville, Alabama. The Fire played in the Eastern Indoor Soccer League during both of the league's seasons from 1997 to 1998. They played their home games in the Von ...

were based in the city of

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...

, and played their home games in the

Von Braun Center The Von Braun Center (known as the Von Braun Civic Center until 1997) is an entertainment complex, with a maximum arena seating capacity of 9,000, located in Huntsville, Alabama. The original facility debuted in 1975 and has undergone several si ...

. The Fire played a total of 52 games, winning 29, two via shootout, and losing 23, two via shootout. They scored a total of 810 points and allowed a total of 702 points and notched 87 total points in standings out of a possible 156 points.

Lafayette SwampCats

The

Lafayette SwampCats The Lafayette SwampCats were a professional indoor soccer team based in Lafayette, Louisiana that played in the EISL during both of the leagues seasons from 1997 to 1998. They played their home games in the Cajundome. The SwampCats were champion ...

were based in the city of

Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette (, ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the most populous city and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, located along the Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's fourth largest incorporated municipality by population and the 234th- ...

and played their home games in the

Cajundome The Cajundome is a 13,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in Lafayette, Louisiana on the South Campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. It is home to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's and women's basketball programs in addition to h ...

. The SwampCats played a total of 52 games winning 40, two via shootout, and losing 15, one via shootout. They scored a total of 643 points and allowed a total of 471 points and notched 113 total points in standings out of a possible 156 points. The SwampCats were champions of the EISL in 1997 and 1998.

Mississippi Beach Kings

The

were based in the city of

, and played their games in the

Mississippi Coast Coliseum Mississippi Coast Coliseum is an 11,500-seat reserved seating, 15,000 festival seating, multi-purpose arena in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was built in 1977. It hosted the WCW Beach Blast in 1993 and the Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournamen ...

. The Beach Kings played only during the 1998 season. During the 1997 season, the team played in

, as the Columbus Comets. The team played 28 games and finished the season with a record of 18 wins, 10 losses, 2 shootout wins and 1 shootout loss for 53 points.

Pensacola Flyers

The Pensacola Flyers were based in the city of

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

, and played their games in the

Pensacola Civic Center Pensacola Bay Center (formerly Pensacola Civic Center) is an indoor arena located in Pensacola, Florida. It is owned by Escambia County and operated by ASM Global. The Bay Center has a capacity of 8,049 for hockey games, and as much as 10,000 ...

. The Flyers played only during the 1998 season. During the 1997 season, the team played in

Tupelo, Mississippi Tupelo () is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. With an estimated population of 38,300, Tupelo is the sixth-largest city in Mississippi and is considered a commercial, industrial, and cultural hub of North M ...

, as the Tupelo Hound Dogs. The team played 28 games and finished the season with a record of 10 wins, 18 losses and 1 shootout loss for 30 points.

Savannah Rug Ratz

The Savannah Rug Ratz were based in the city of

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

, and played their home games in the

Savannah Civic Center The Savannah Civic Center is a multi-purpose facility located in Savannah, Georgia, in Savannah Historic District. Built-in 1974, the facility consists of an arena, theatre, ballroom, and exhibit halls. Throughout the years, the center hosts var ...

. The Rug Ratz played a total of 52 games winning 14 of them, one via shootout, and losing 39, two via shootout. They scored a total of 564 points and allowed a total of 832 points and notched 40 total points in standings out of a possible 156 points.

Tallahassee Scorpions

The

Tallahassee Scorpions The Tallahassee Scorpions were an American professional indoor soccer team based in Tallahassee, Florida, that played in the EISL during both of the league's seasons from 1997 to 1998. They played their home games at the Tallahassee-Leon Count ...

were based in the city of

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...

, and played their home games in the

Donald L. Tucker Center The Donald L. Tucker Civic Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena located on the Florida State University campus in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. The arena has the biggest capacity of any arena in the Florida Panhandle. The arena opened i ...

. The Scorpions played a total of 52 games winning 28 of them, one via shootout, and losing 25. They scored a total of 705 points and allowed a total of 577 points and notched 80 total points in standings out of a possible 156 points.

Tupelo Hound Dogs

The Tupelo Hound Dogs were based in the city of

. They only played during the 1997 season before moving to

, for the 1998 season as the Pensacola Flyers. The team played 24 games and finished the season with a record of 12 wins, 12 losses, and 1 shootout win for 35 points.

References

External links

EISL
at ''Soccer Times'' {{USDefunctSoccer Defunct indoor soccer leagues in the United States 1997 in American soccer leagues 1998 in American soccer leagues