The Wichita B-52s was an American professional indoor soccer team based in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

. Founded in July 2013, the team made its debut in the

Professional Arena Soccer League A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

with the 2013–14 season under head coach Larry Inlow. After beginning the 2014–15 season under Jeff Kraft,

Kim Roentved Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese ...

was named head coach in December 2014. The team played its home games at

Hartman Arena Hartman Arena is a privately managed 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Park City, Kansas, United States. It is located northwest of I-135 and 77th Street North in the north Wichita metro area. History Ground was broken on March 25, 2008, and th ...

Park City, Kansas Park City is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States, and a suburb of Wichita. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,333. History The first Park City was founded in 1870. Located to the northwest of Wichita, it w ...

. In August 2015, the team announced it would not be participating in the 2015–16 MASL season.

History

In June 2013, the

Wichita Wings The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979.

of the MISL folded but a successor corporation named FC Wichita LLC announced their intention to join the PASL for the 2013–14 season. The name and home arena for the

, based team were not immediately announced. On July 10, the team announced that it secured a lease at

but now planned to delay joining the PASL until the 2014–15 season. On July 23, the PASL announced that a different ownership group had secured a Hartman Arena lease and the franchise to play in Wichita for the 2013–14 season. On August 22, team owner Joseph Pindell announced that it will play as the "Wichita B-52s" to honor the city's aviation heritage. (More than 700 Boeing B-52 Stratofortress aircraft were built in Wichita.) The team's blue and orange official colors reflect the colors of the original

. Indoor soccer veteran Jeff Kraft served as head coach for the first five games of the 2014–15 season. He was replaced on an interim basis by former assistant coach Darin Smith.

, former professional soccer player and former head coach of the

Missouri Comets Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas to th ...

indoor soccer team, was named in October 2014 to be the Director of Operations for the Wichita B-52s. Roentved was also a fan favorite player when he played for the

. On December 2, 2014, the team elevated him to head coach. In May 2015, local media reported that some players and staff had worked the previous season without pay, some checks written by the team to vendors had bounced, and that the team owed

approximately $2,000. Team owner Joey Pindell told

KWCH-DT KWCH-DT (channel 12) is a television station licensed to Hutchinson, Kansas, United States, serving the Wichita area as an affiliate of CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside CW affiliate KSCW-DT (channel 33), and maintains studios on 3 ...

that the "B-52's are experiencing some struggles" but that he was working with MASL officials to resolve their issues. In August 2015, the team it would not be participating in the 2015–16 MASL season.

Year-by-year

References

External links

Wichita B-52s official website
*{{Facebook, wichitab52s
Professional Arena Soccer League official website
2013 establishments in Kansas Association football clubs established in 2013 Defunct soccer clubs in Kansas Defunct Major Arena Soccer League teams Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States Professional Arena Soccer League teams B-52s 2015 disestablishments in Kansas Association football clubs disestablished in 2015