Can any one tell me what happend to the Detroit Border Stars? Why were they dropped from the schedule so close to the start of the season?
Over the summer, the Border Stars management was looking to transfer the operations of their indoor club to a new, Detroit-based management group. However, there were several problems that occurred, and league management felt that the transfer of ownership could not be completed in a time frame that would allow the new management time to properly sell and market the team effectively. So, last week, the league withdrew the Detroit franchise.
The AISL will be playing this season with three active member clubs: Cincinnati, Chicago, and Massachusetts. Obviously, this is not the situation we wanted to be in. However, given what has happened with Albuquerque in October, and Detroit/Windsor last week, we had to do what we felt was right for the league, so we are playing the hand we are dealt. I can tell you that for 2006-07, the AISL will be substantially larger in size. We should have no less than six clubs next season, and quite probably more.
Rich P. - don't hate me, but, and really don't hate me, you are beginning to sound, really don't hate me, a lot like, really I like you Rich, Steve Ryan and others involved in indoor leagues........
Yeah. As soon as I finished writing that, I said "Sweet fracking Jesus, I sound like that jackass". HOWEVER, with that being said, I'm not going to tell you that everything is just wonderful, like Stevie Boy would. It's not a great situation. It's going to be a struggle for acceptance. I know that. However, I'm going to do what I can this season, and really come out kicking ass next year. What you're going to get from the AISL this year echoes our new league slogan: Pride and Passion. You're going to have everyone from Paul LaPointe and Rich Paschette to the coaches and players busting their ass to give you indoor soccer in it's purest form. There won't be a lot of glitz, smoke, and mirrors, but you're going to have a hundred percent effort for people who still give a damn about this sport. At least we're going to have a media guide this year
Rich you crack me up. You know, that lack of 2004/05 MISL Media Guide thing still kills me. I mean kills me. On a Storm boble head promotional box last year, one whole side of it advertised the Media Guide - even had a PICTURE OF THE MEDIA GUIDE!!!! And they never came out with it. AARRGGHH!!
And I know you are still finalizing things in Chicago, so you don't have to respond, but still looking forward to announcements about name, owners, players, etc.
Rich, don't hate me either, but when you say "indoor soccer in its purest form" are you including those dreaded 2 point goals the AISL has?
Rich don't hate me either, but I've been around indoor soccer awhile and the Border Stars looked to me to be a well run organization that had a summer outdoor team and an indoor team. I wish the AISL well but three teams, (well isn' it actually Mass and Cincy with Chicago playing an abridged schedule?) the 'league' is coming across as a little ridiculous. Please don't take the word 'ridiculous' out of context in what I'm trying to explain. I know the AISL has tried to make it work for a couple of years and has done more than pay lip service to setting up a league. Because people on this board here would go to a game assuming we lived in Springfield, Chicago or Cincinnati but to the 99.9 percent of the remaining North American population who aren't fans of indoor soccer a three team league is a little .....................umm whats the word........"iffy".
I'd never heard anything about the AISL until yesterday. I checked out the website for more info. How big are the arenas that Cincy and Mass Twisters (to be honest I was not impressed with their logo) play in and what kind of attendance has the league received? I saw that you had mentioned that budgets were in the $50K range -- what's the breakdown on salaries, travel, other operational expenses? If you could pass along any other information I would be interested to hear it. I wish your league all the best.
The AISL website reflects that the Chicago team is simply known as Team Chicago this season. But their two home games will be at the Rockford Metro Center. According to the website, they will be moving to a Chicago area arena next season (Sears Centre, perhaps?). The website mentions the Team Chicago roster and it looks pretty good, with former Storm players, Nino DaSilva, Fred DeGand and Andy Rosenband. Unfortunately, it appears none of them played in Team Chicago's first game this past weekend against the Cincinnati Excite, which the Excite won 16-2. From the story on the AISL website, it also appears that the two-point goal scoring system was not used because the story says that the Excite had 16 goals and Team Chicago had two. The AISL website candidly admits that due to conflicts, Team Chicago only had eight field players and a goalkeeper (who may have been sorry that he showed up). The good news was that the Excite had a sell-out crowd of 1,150. Rich, if I got anything wrong, please don't hesitate to correct me.
I know many of those names on the Chicago Team. If you come to the Odeum in Villa Park on Friday nights, you will see many of these guys playing for various teams in the Chicago National League.
Memphis Mojo? I don't know if this is the official nickname for the AISL team planned for Memphis, but a local station (wmctv.com) had an article on 10/31/05 about the Memphis AISL franchise owner and said the Mojo will play a 16-game schedule beginning December 2006. They were trying for the Mid-South Coliseum as a venue.
Skipper.... You done good. Everything you posted is as advertised, except that we "ARE" using the 2PG goal this season. The Chicago team played "heroically", but with the score being 8-0 at the half, it was just too much of a hill to climb. The Chicago 'keeper (Aaron Borsotti is his name I believe) did quite well for a guy with limited indoor experience. On to other subjects... I can't confirm anything on the Memphis name yet, but MOJO is one of the names being bandied about. I have been working with the club management in designing a logo, and hopefully it will be finalized by the first of the year. Shelts.. All I can say is that we're trying. We obviously didn't expect the B-Stars and New Mexico to go dixie on us, but that is the hand we are dealt. The AISL is doing the best we can with what we have to work with, and in 2006-07, we're going to have a league that I hope that you approve of. I just returned from the league meetings in Cincy last weekend, and there is a lot of positive energy that came out of it. If you believe, no explanation is necessary. If you don't, then none will do.
Well Springfield is 90 minutes up 146 and then the Mass Pike (which is a scam, a Federal Interstate that has tolls to the state), anyways 90 mins I'm gonna go and check out a Mass Twisters game. I went to a ABA game (Boston Frenzy-who played in New Bedford last year) so this will be an experience that will top that in terms of professionalism.
