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MISL Announces Affiliation Agreement with the Premier Arena Soccer League
Thursday Oct 11, 2007
PASL Designated as an Official Affiliate League of the MISL
WESTPORT, Conn. (Thursday, October 11, 2007) – The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and the Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL), the largest International indoor soccer league (amateur) in the world, jointly announced on Thursday that they have formalized a multi-year affiliation agreement, according to MISL Commissioner Steve Ryan and PASL Commissioner Kevin Milliken. Through this formalized agreement, the MISL will utilize the PASL as its affiliate for developing MISL players, developing on-field game officials and referees, and serving as a competitive platform to evaluate potential rules and equipment changes.
"We are very pleased to have formalized our relationship with the PASL," said Commissioner Ryan. “We have had a strong working relationship with Kevin Milliken and the PASL since 2003 and this agreement will help all involved grow this great game of indoor soccer. Cleary, our roadmap to success is driven by exposing our product to a rapidly growing market segment of soccer enthusiasts across the country. On behalf of the MISL, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jim Rachels, California Cougars Investor/Operator, for his diligence in ushering the MISL through this process.”
“This is a landmark affiliation agreement for the sport of indoor soccer,” commented Commissioner Milliken. “Indoor soccer is now connected at all levels, from adult and youth recreation, to youth camps and clinics, to competitive adult play, to the professional ranks. I believe that this is the first time there is such a connection on a national scale where a recreational fan can touch the MISL through the PASL. Indoor soccer is the sport of the future and we have taken a major step forward with this affiliation agreement.”
As part of player development, the PASL, in coordination with MISL member clubs, shall conduct player combines in regional areas for MISL scouting and potential drafting of PASL players. Additionally, MISL clubs may participate in the PASL league via a development team, similar to the Stockton Pumas, the official development team of the MISL California Cougars.
"The PASL has been the perfect setting for us to evaluate the best amateur 'indoor' soccer players in our region,” stated California Cougars Head Coach Bernie Lilavois, who selected several players from the PASL during the 2007 MISL Expansion Draft. “We have benefited a great deal by having such a large group of PASL teams on the west coast. The PASL made my job of scouting local talent a lot easier, and it will do the same for all of the other coaches in the MISL. Our reserve team, the Stockton Pumas, won the PASL summer national tournament and many of the players we faced were invited to our training camp. While coaching the Pumas, I was able to work with younger, 'up-and-coming' talent and teach them the system that we use at the pro level. This affiliation will greatly benefit not just our team but the League as well."
As part of the development of on-field game officials and referees, the top performing referees for PASL matches shall be given the opportunity to be included in the pool of referees for MISL matches.
As it relates to the competition rules of the game, the PASL shall play by modified MISL playing rules as approved by the MISL Competition Committee. The PASL shall be represented on the MISL Competition Committee. Wherever possible, the PASL shall use the MISL multi-point scoring system.
Further, the MISL and PASL will collaborate to develop comprehensive co-promotional platforms to, not only increase the exposure of both leagues, but to rapidly grow the game of indoor soccer.
About the Premier Indoor Soccer League
Now entering its 10th year, the PASL is the largest International indoor/arena soccer league in the world. The PASL is currently comprised of 48 teams in the United States (41), Mexico (6) and Canada (1). PASL Teams play in regional competition to keep travel costs at a minimum. The champion of each region competes in an International final. The PASL currently runs a winter and summer league. The winter league starts the first weekend in December and ends the third weekend in March. The summer league runs from the first weekend in May through the third weekend in July. The PASL expects to kick off this year’s winter league with 10 divisions, and 60 teams in the United States. It hopes to add 3 divisions in Mexico, and 1 in Canada by the end of October. The PASL is an affiliated member of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) through United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). For more information on the PASL, visit www.arenaleague.com.
About the MISL
The Major Indoor Soccer League, a single-entity organization with a coast-to-coast presence, represents the major league of professional indoor soccer, featuring the finest indoor soccer players from 32 countries around the world. The nine MISL clubs competing in the 2007-08 season are the Baltimore Blast, California Cougars, Chicago Storm, 2007 championship finalist Detroit Ignition, Milwaukee Wave, and the defending MISL Champion Philadelphia KiXX, with the addition of three expansion clubs, La Raza de Monterrey (MX), New Jersey Ironmen, and the Orlando Sharks. The 2007-08 MISL regular season commences on the weekend of October 19-21, 2007 and concludes on the weekend of April 4-6, 2008. Each Club plays a thirty-match (30) regular-season schedule (15 home / 15 away). The 2008 MISL Championship Series consists of six MISL Member Clubs competing in three rounds, the Quarterfinal Round (April 11-13), the Semifinal Round (April 18-20), and the Championship Series Final on April 26 at U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee. For more information on the MISL, visit the League’s official website www.misl.net.
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