Surprised this hasn't received much in the way of buzz today in usldiscussions land. What's everyone's thoughts on USL starting an indoor league?

I do not understand why this is a good idea, which does not mean that it isn't. Someone who is in favor of this move should please explain the upside to me.

http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2010/07/20/the-i-league-does-america-need-more-indoor-soccer/

Just because there is a round ball and a goal dose not mean it needs fans.
Indoor soccer is not football! It's just indoor training.

I think USL is spinning it this way based on what they said:
1 - USL is growing. Look at us! We're adding teams, we're adding front office personnel, we're adding offerings. We're getting so darn big that you won't even think about going with the NASL.
2 - Some teams can have indoor and outdoor components and keep the same players year round and further expose their brands.

As for 1: well, yeah, but I'm still not geeked about Antigua and how about an offering on the mainland that makes me think somebody has it on the ball? Somebody who DIDN'T run one of your premier franchises (almost) into the ground.

And as for 2: I've never really seen it done effectively since the days of the NASL, when some of its teams played limited indoor schedules. And look how that turned out.

Given the state of the indoor game in this country and how hard a sell it is, I just don't see adding this to the mix being a net positive. But I'll be interested to see how it turns out. The guy in Rochester sure seems enthused. I hope he has someone to play against.

This would be nothing more then USL's plan "C" for when everything else falls apart.

Indoor Leagues
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indoor_soccer

North America 5

Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League (Canada)

Major Indoor Soccer League (2009) (United States and Mexico) (formed from former MISL and AISL teams, formerly known as National Indoor Soccer League)

Premier Arena Soccer League (United States semi-pro)

Professional Arena Soccer League (United States, Canada, and Mexico)

*I-League (USL Indoor) (Fall 2011)

Europe 2/4 maybe

Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Fútbol Indoor (Spain) [1][2]
Leisure Leagues
Masters Football (United Kingdom)
Prostar Leagues Scotland

Former 12

American Indoor Soccer League (United States)

Continental Indoor Soccer League (United States and Mexico)

Eastern Indoor Soccer League (United States)

Major Indoor Soccer League (United States and Mexico)

Major Indoor Soccer League (1978 - 1992)

National Professional Soccer League (originally called the American Indoor Soccer Association)

National Soccer League (never played a game; not to be confused with the NISL)

North American Soccer League (indoor and outdoor soccer league)

Super Soccer League 1978 (never play a game)

Southwest Indoor Soccer League (evolved into the outdoor USL)

World Indoor Soccer League (Originally the Premier Soccer Alliance)

Xtreme Soccer League (United States)

* Another example of USL's winning strategy to muck up soccer in America

This I can get behind as a theory. Is there an example of it working in practice?

No, it's just a selling point of their new package called, the bundle it all together to get more start up fees program...

USL
No focus = no real marketing/new customers for any of the teams.

I cannot think of one.

From 1979 to 1984 (with a break in 82-83), some NASL teams that played outdoor also played indoor in the NASL's answer to the original MISL (i.e. the hot new chick). There was no 82-83 NASL indoor season for some reason, and a few teams (San Diego, Chicago and somebody else, forget who) played in the MISL, then came back to the NASL.

It was fun and interesting, but I'm not sure how successful it was. It was probably more fun early, when they only played 12 and then 18 games, but the final year they played 32 and it was overkill (the MISL was also on its way to maxing out with 52 games or something).

More recently, the Montreal Impact bought the woebegone Columbus (nee Canton) Invaders and had indoor and outdoor teams from 1997 to 2000. I don't think it worked out very well for them.

And even more recently, after the Milwaukee Rampage folded, the Milwaukee Wave started an outdoor club in USL called Milwaukee Wave United, which played in 2003 and 2004 and I don't believe it worked out all that well, either.

So, no I don't know of a really successful model on which to base the theory. Fun as it might be for a fan.

I agree 100%. I quit playing soccer at places like Ralia (the turf is also terrible at Ralia, did I mention that) becuase boards and soccer is like...well, I don't think I post it here. I prefer the smell of fresh grass, the great outdoors and hot nuts coming from the beer garden.

I was around when the NASL outdoor league turned into the indoor game to save their little mistakes in rushing to develop the first american national soccer league NASL. Do you know how they sold it to us fans as they changed the product? The ticket was cheaper and they told us it was a better game because their was more scoring per game played (the biggest criticism of soccer at the time, not enough scoring in each game) and also, that every fan no matter which seat you bought was in the right place to see all the action because it was closer to all fans in the arena.

After a while we all realized it was like comparing american Nascar auto racing to the world's sport of Formula 1 racing. Yes, their was more passing and more "racing action", and yes you could see the whole track, but after a while you realized those things were not real racing action. The Nascar car was designed to not work in free air so no one could really get away to a big lead after the third lap even if their car and driver was superior. Nascar engineered the cars to not get away on their own. The short track sucked as far as challenging the crew and driver, and was not really all that interesting to watch with no real breaking, acceleration, or corning set up needed on the cars. Also, it was really not a car that was all that hard to drive when the car only turns in one direction and needs no breaking or shifting of gears by the driver. It was not anything like the car we drove to work, it was just a fictional racing series that was cheap and easy to put in front of the fans. There was no beauty in the racing, no technical engineering challenges, no track tactics, no race tactics, just all "action" right in front of your face, which became as interesting as watching paint dry after you knew what was really happening, and not happening during the "race".

Indoor soccer will never again be anything more than an off season way to keep players game fit. It was tried many times, and has failed just as many times. We have too many other choices for sports entertainment now especially in the world's game of football.