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 ...
team based in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
The team's original owner was Ed Tepper, also president of Tepper Properties Inc, had been one of the co-founders of the original
MISL
The Misls (derived from an Arabic word wikt:مثل#Etymology_3, مِثْل meaning 'equal') were the twelve sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy, which rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian ...
. In 2001, the KiXX along with five other NPSL franchises founded the new Major Indoor Soccer League. They were originally sponsored by Oki Data Americas. The KiXX won the first MISL championship (2001–02 season) over the
Milwaukee Wave
The Milwaukee Wave is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional soccer team in the United States and are seven-time league champions, m ...
2 games to 1 (4–11, 11–4, 8–6) in the best of three game championship series. The KiXX also won the 2006–07 MISL championship defeating the
Detroit Ignition
The Detroit Ignition were an American indoor soccer team that has played three seasons, most recently 2008–09.
In April 2006, Greg Bibb, president of Hantz Group Sports and Entertainment, introduced the teams as a new Major Indoor Soccer Leag ...
13–8 in a one-game championship. After the MISL folded in 2008, the KiXX announced that they had joined the
National Indoor Soccer League
The National Indoor Soccer League (NISL) is an indoor soccer league that began play in 2021 and is based in the Southeast United States. The league fields men's and women's divisions. On March 24, 2021, the league announced its partnership with N ...
for its inaugural season in 2008–09. The NISL took on the MISL moniker for its second season.
On March 2, 2010, KiXX goalkeeper Peter Pappas retired after playing his final match against the Baltimore Blast at the Liacouras Center. In honor of his years of dedication and spotless record the KiXX decided to retire the #22 jersey. Pappas spent 13 seasons with the KiXX. During that time he played in 416 matches, recording 5,399 saves and 230 wins. He was named Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) ‘Goalkeeper of the Year’ four times and an All-League selection eight times. Fellow long-term KiXX member
Don D'Ambra
Don D'Ambra (born May 5, 1972 in Philadelphia) is a retired American soccer forward who currently coaches the Saint Joseph's University men's soccer team.
Player
Youth
D'Ambra graduated from Northeast Catholic High School. He then attended S ...
also retired in 2010. He served as head coach of the KiXX from 2002 to 2010 and played 575 games, scoring 483 goals. In April 2010, D'Ambra was named the head coach of the
Saint Joseph's Hawks
The Saint Joseph's Hawks are the athletic teams that represent Saint Joseph's University of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Hawks compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference a ...
men's soccer team.
The team went on hiatus after the conclusion of the 2009–10 season and did not return to play before the MISL folded as a league in 2014.
Arena Soccer League
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
was announced and named in honor of the original team for the spring 2023 season.
Year-by-year
Head coaches
Arenas
*
Wachovia Spectrum
The Spectrum (later known as CoreStates Spectrum, First Union Spectrum and Wachovia Spectrum) was an indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Opened in September 1967 as part of what is now known as the South Philadelphia Spo ...
1996–2009
*
Liacouras Center
The Liacouras Center is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose venue which opened in 1997 and was originally named "''The Apollo of Temple''". The arena was renamed in 2000 for Temple University President, Peter J. Liacouras. It is part of a $107 mill ...
2009–2010
# Between 1996 and 2009 the team has also played select games at the
Wachovia Center
The Wells Fargo Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Philadelphia. It serves as the home of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the ...
,
Gaylord Entertainment Center
Bridgestone Arena (originally Nashville Arena, and formerly Gaylord Entertainment Center and Sommet Center) is a multi-purpose venue in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Completed in 1996, it is the home of the Nashville Predators of ...
in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, and at the
Sovereign Bank Arena
The CURE Insurance Arena is a multipurpose arena in Trenton, New Jersey. It hosts events including shows, sporting events and concerts.
The arena seats 7,605 for hockey and other ice events, 8,600 for basketball and up to 10,500 for concerts, fam ...
in
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Sidekicks Opponents: Philadelphia Kixx /ref>