The Wichita B-52s was an American professional
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
Wichita, Kansas. Founded in July 2013, the team made its debut in the
Professional Arena Soccer League with the
2013–14 season under head coach Larry Inlow. After beginning the 2014–15 season under Jeff Kraft,
Kim Roentved was named head coach in December 2014.
The team played its home games at
Hartman Arena in
Park City, Kansas.
In August 2015, the team announced it would not be participating in the 2015–16 MASL season.
History
In June 2013, the
Wichita Wings of the
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 ...
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
Wichita, Kansas, based team were not immediately announced.
On July 10, the team announced that it secured a lease at
Hartman Arena 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
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...
aircraft were built in Wichita.) The team's blue and orange official colors reflect the colors of the original
Wichita Wings.
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 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
Wichita Wings. 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
Hartman Arena approximately $2,000.
Team owner Joey Pindell told
KWCH-DT 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
B5, B05, B-5 may refer to:
Biology
* ATC code B05 (''Blood substitutes and perfusion solutions''), a therapeutic subgroup of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System
* Cytochrome ''b''5, ubiquitous electron transport hemoprotein ...
2015 disestablishments in Kansas
Association football clubs disestablished in 2015