The Pensacola Flyers were an American professional

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 ...

team based in

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. They played their home 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 ...

. They were members of the

Eastern Indoor Soccer League The Eastern Indoor Soccer League (EISL) was an American professional regional indoor soccer league. The league featured teams from the Southeastern United States. The regular seasons were played from May to August with post-season play in Septe ...

and played only during the 1998 season. During the 1997 season, the team played at the Tupelo Coliseum in

Tupelo Tupelo commonly refers to: * Tupelo (tree), a small genus of deciduous trees with alternate, simple leaves * Tupelo, Mississippi, the county seat and the largest city of Lee County, Mississippi Tupelo may also refer to: Places * Tupelo, Arka ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, as the Tupelo Hound Dogs then relocated to Pensacola during the offseason. During their existence, the Flyers/Hound Dogs played a total of 52 games, winning 22, including one via shootout, and losing 30, including one via shootout. They scored a total of 675 goals and allowed a total of 732 goals and notched 66 total standings points out of a possible 156 points. (The EISL awarded 3 points for a win, 2 for a shootout win, 1 for a shootout loss, and 0 for a loss in regulation.) The team suspended operations after the 1998 season, as did the Huntsville Fire, ultimately leading to the official collapse of the league in December 1998.

History

1997 season

The Tupelo Hound Dogs finished fifth overall in the seven-team league. Under the direction of head coach Jimmy Graham, they finished with a record of 12 wins (including 1 shootout win) and 12 losses for 35 points. The team was last in the league in attendance with an average of about 1,000 fans per game.

1998 season

The Pensacola Flyers finished sixth overall in the seven-team league, ahead of only the Savannah Rug Ratz. They finished the season with a record of 10 wins and 18 losses (including 1 shootout loss) for 31 points. The Flyers averaged 2,164 fans per game, fifth-best in the EISL where the average league game saw 2,733 fans in attendance. Oleg Baleev was named EISL Rookie of the Year for the 1998 season. Pensacola Flyers forward Brad Snyder was named to the 1998 EISL All-League Third Team. Players receiving All-League Honorable Mentions included midfielders Oleg Baleev and Diego Maradona.

Former players

* Midfielder John Molet joined the Denver Dynamite of the

Professional Arena Soccer League The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a professional indoor soccer league in North America. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico. The league is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. The le ...

in October 2008. * Oleg Baleyev is the head coach of the

Jones County Junior College Jones College is a public community college in Ellisville, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and serves its eight-county district consisting of Clarke, Covington, G ...

soccer team in Ellisville,

References

External links

Pensacola Flyers
at ''Soccer Times'' {{Eastern Indoor Soccer League teams Eastern Indoor Soccer League teams Association football clubs established in 1998 Association football clubs disestablished in 1998 Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States Soccer clubs in Florida Sports in Pensacola, Florida 1998 establishments in Florida 1998 disestablishments in Florida