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

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer is a form of five-a-side football, five-a-side or six-a-side version of minifootball. It is derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arenas. It differs from the FIFA, FIFA ...

league. The league featured teams from the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...

. 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 i ...

were based in the city of

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

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 exhibitio ...

. 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 were a women's professional American football team based in Columbus, Ohio. They played in the Women's Football Alliance. The Comets played in the National Women's Football Association from their inception in 2003 until 2 ...

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 (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...

. They only played during the 1997 season before moving to

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It lies on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southern Mississippi, bordering the city of Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport to its west. The adjacent cities ar ...

, for the 1998 season as the

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

. 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 were based in the city of

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...

, and played their home games in the

Von Braun Center The Von Braun Center (known as 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 signi ...

. 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 were based in the city of

Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette ( , ) is the most populous city in and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, Lafayette Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located along the Vermilion River (Louisiana), Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's List of municipaliti ...

and played their home games in the

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

. 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 World Championship Wrestling, WCW Beach Blast in 1993 and the Sun Belt Confere ...

. 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 a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

, 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. Founded in 1860, the population was 37,923 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, 7th-most populous ...

, 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 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 Brita ...

, 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, theater, ballroom, and exhibit halls. Throughout the years, the center has hos ...

. 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 were based in the city of

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...

, 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''
All-Time EISL Standings

All-Time EISL Attendance

All-Time EISL Scores
{{USDefunctSoccer Defunct indoor soccer leagues in the United States 1997 in American soccer leagues 1998 in American soccer leagues