MISL Announces Orlando Expansion

WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT (Monday, May 1, 2006) – The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) announced during a live national television audience on Sunday on ESPN2 that it will expand into Orlando, Florida, beginning with the 2007-08 MISL Regular Season.

“The MISL Management Committee unanimously endorsed for membership, Mr. Sham Maharaj in the Orlando, Florida, marketplace to commence play in 2007,” MISL Commissioner Steve Ryan said. “Orlando is the global leader in family entertainment and the Major Indoor Soccer League is very excited about bringing our family-oriented, professional sports entertainment product into Central Florida.”

Maharaj is a prominent and respected real estate developer in the region, and is the president of Buena Vista Corp. Both Maharaj and team president Rich Bradley were present in St. Louis on Sunday afternoon when the 2006 MISL Championship Series Finals were completed before a crowd of 16,061 at Savvis Center. Bradley, who served for two years as the executive vice-president and chief operating officer of the MISL’s Kansas City Comets, has also spent 10 of the last 12 years in the Orlando market, working in the sports business, including a tenure with Central Florida-based Ajax America, the American affiliate of Ajax Amsterdam, one of Europe’s leading professional soccer clubs. “Sham’s selection of a veteran and respected sports leader, Rich Bradley, is a vivid example of his commitment to conducting a very successful team operation,” Ryan said.

The 2007-08 expansion class currently includes Orlando (Fla.), Newark (NJ), and the scheduled return of the MISL to Kansas City. With the Detroit Ignition ready to begin MISL competition this fall, and the recent additions of the Chicago Storm (2004-05), and the California Cougars (2005-06), the league’s presence in Orlando expands the MISL’s coast-to-coast footprint and furthers its expansion objectives targeted for the Southeastern region of the United States.

About The MISL
The Major Indoor Soccer League is a single-entity organization with a coast-to-coast presence, comprised of six teams located across the United States, and features the finest indoor soccer players representing 31 countries around the world. In May, 2004, the League announced plans for an expansion team in Newark, NJ, that will begin play in 2007-08. In April of 2005, the League approved an MISL expansion team for Detroit that will begin play as the Detroit Ignition in 2006-07. On Sunday, April 30, 2006, the MISL announced that Orlando had been approved to begin competition in the 2007-08 season. For more information on the MISL, visit the League’s official website www.MISL.net.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jaye Cavallo
Major Indoor Soccer League
203-222-4900 x12
jcavallo@misl.net