One of the defining characteristics of Minor Sports Leagues is that they play to smaller crowds of fans. Minor-Leagues.com has compiled a series of posts that provides details of attendance figures.
The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), also known as the National Indoor Soccer League and the Xtreme Soccer League when it split for one season in 2007-08 was a professional indoor soccer league which began play in 2001. The departure of six teams which joined the Professional Arena Soccer League (now the Major Arena Soccer League) after the 2013–14 season effectively ended the MISL.
Below is the fan attendance for the entire league from 2006 to 2013.
League | Sport | Season | # of Teams | Team Change | Games | Games Change | Total Attendance | TA Change | Average Attendance | AA Change | Source |
MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League) | Indoor Soccer | 2005-06 | 6 USA | untracked | 90 | untracked | 426,328 | -38.72% | 4,737 | untracked | kenn.com |
MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League) | Indoor Soccer | 2006-07 | 6 USA | 0.00% | 90 | 0.00% | 423,955 | -0.56% | 4,711 | -0.55% | kenn.com |
MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League to NISL/XSL) | Indoor Soccer | 2007-08 | 9 (8 USA 1 MEX) | 50.00% | 135 | 50.00% | 617,880 | 45.74% | 4,577 | -2.84% | kenn.com |
NISL (National Indoor Soccer League from MISL) | Indoor Soccer | 2008-09 | 5 (4 USA 1 MEX) | -44.44% | 41 | -69.63% | 170,696 | -72.37% | 4,163 | -9.05% | kenn.com |
XSL (Xtreme Soccer League from MISL) | Indoor Soccer | 2008-09 | 4 USA | untracked | 40 | untracked | 137,379 | untracked | 3,434 | untracked | kenn.com |
MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League) | Indoor Soccer | 2009-10 | 5 (4 USA 1 MEX) | 0.00% | 50 | 21.95% | 188,065 | 10.18% | 3,761 | -9.66% | kenn.com |
MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League) | Indoor Soccer | 2010-11 | 5 USA | 0.00% | 50 | 0.00% | 200,441 | 6.58% | 4,009 | 6.59% | kenn.com |
MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League) | Indoor Soccer | 2011-12 | 7 USA | 40.00% | 84 | 68.00% | 336,478 | 67.87% | 4,006 | -0.07% | kenn.com |
MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League) | Indoor Soccer | 2012-13 | 7 USA | 0.00% | 88 | 4.76% | 380,961 | 13.22% | 4,329 | 8.06% | kenn.com |
MISL is considered to be the third league to be known as the Major Indoor Soccer League but in reviewing franchise and team integrity, Minor-Leagues.com considers this to be the second and so far last version. Indoor soccer, or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, minifootball, fast football, floorball or showball), is a game derived from association football adapted for play in a walled indoor arena. Indoor soccer, as it is most often known in the United States and Canada, was originally developed in these two countries as a way to play football during the winter months, when snow would make outdoor play difficult.