Jeff man behind Major Indoor Soccer League plan

I've always had a certain affinity for indoor soccer.

For one, muddy fields, steaming cow dung and the challenge of switching into your kit in sweeping Irish winds and driving rain (we didn't have the luxury of dressing rooms) never really appealed, despite my great love for the game.

Living in a high rise tower block during my youth also cemented my affair with the indoors. Most of the time, our elevator was clapped out due to its inability to carry too many Shetland ponies up and down on a regular basis, so it seemed easier as a 10-year-old to watch the world go by from the comfort of the balcony rather than negotiate hundreds of urine sodden stairs.

Instead, I'd kick pairs of socks - rolled into the shape of balls - at my little sister who was the designated goalkeeper, standing between goalposts usually made out of talking dolls or fluffy teddy bears. If the socks were all in the wash, teddy bears made good kicking material also.

So it's no surprise that the indoors is where I had most success. It benefits the smaller, fit and more skillful players, with the added bonus of making fools of the tall or cumbersome defenders who usually got to boot you up and down outdoor fields.

As a result, I look forward to seeing professional indoor soccer returning to Louisville thanks in the main to Jeffersonville architect Wayne Estopinal, who is leading a push to construct a team to play in the Major Indoor Soccer League next fall.

Estopinal will be known to many involved in the game locally, as he is majority owner of Mockingbird SC. Under his wing there, so to speak, is his talented son, Andrew, who was part of St Xavier's Kentucky state winning soccer team this year and will return as a senior for 2008. A possible future MISL star, perhaps?

The Louisville team, not yet named, will be the 10th in the MISL if its application is successful. Opponents will include the likes of defending champion Philadelphia KiXX, Chicago Storm, California Cougars and Orlando Sharks. Teams typically play in front of crowds numbering 5-6,000, while new pro outfit New Jersey Ironmen recently played Detroit Ignition with over 13,000 in attendance.

The games will be held for couple of years at Freedom Hall, from October to April, before transferring possibly to the new downtown arena, which is expected to be completed in 2010.

Local sponsors and investors are being sought, as it will need the guts of almost $4 million to fund the team's first three years.

And that's exactly how long the area's last professional indoor team - Louisville Thunder - lasted. Founded in 1984, it won the American Indoor Soccer Association's championship in its final year in 1987.

It featured such players as Keith Tozer, who played nearly 100 games with the Thunder over two and half seasons and was also the team’s head coach; Janusz Michallik, who earned 44 caps for the U.S. national team; and Zoran Savic, a two-time all-star and one of the league’s leading scorers.

When the Thunder finally won the title in its third try, Savic and teammates Chris Hellencamp and Jim Gabarra led the way, each scoring five goals in the playoffs.

Whether the new club can attract similar illustrious players remains to be seen, and whether it will last longer is also a question for debate. Only time will tell, but the general consensus is that there is more of an appetite for the game in the area now than there was 20 years ago, with thousands more playing the game in the greater Louisville and southern Indiana areas.

Of course, that’s not to say that all local aficionados of the outdoor sport will automatically enjoy the indoor game and bolt off to Freedom Hall quicker than you can say Flash Gordon - they probably won’t.

Let’s not forget that some differences in the indoor game may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It is six a side, with four 15-minute quarters and a different scoring system, which involves the awarding of two or three points per goal.

But the higher scoring games are expected to appeal to a more general audience and so it may attract new fans to the game, while TV exposure of the MISL via Fox Soccer Channel on Friday nights won’t harm it either.

And who knows, if successful, it could be the stepping stone to one day having a Major League Soccer team in the area. In a warm stadium without muddy fields and cow dung, one hopes!