The Tampa Bay Rowdies are about to have a little brother.
The National Indoor Soccer League (NISL) announced today that Tampa’s Yuengling Center will be home to its newest expansion team, according to a press release.
The team will compete in a 24-game regular season beginning in December and will be made up of both a men’s and women’s division, according to a press release.
Founded in January of 2021 by a group of sports team owners, the NISL is an indoor soccer league centered around developing and highlighting professional talent while providing high-quality and affordable entertainment for its fans.
The league is currently made up of four teams—Columbus Rapids, Fayetteville Fury, Memphis Americans and Rome Gladiators—and each team has both a men’s and women’s division. Each NISL game night features a double header, so fans will be able to watch both a men’s and women’s match during their stay.
Indoor soccer is a fast-paced form of soccer played on a smaller, indoor field covered in artificial turf and surrounded by sideline walls to keep the ball in play—similar to hockey.
Tampa Bay’s NISL team is the second indoor soccer team in the Bay area, joining Major Arena Soccer League’s Lakeland Tropics, which plays at the RP Funding Center. The long-demolished Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg also hosted two indoor soccer teams: the Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975-1987) and the Tampa Bay Terror (1995-1997).
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This article appears in Jul 14-20, 2022.