Picture the World’s Game...
in extreme
closeup
That’s the Major Indoor Soccer League FOUNDED 1978
executive summary The Major Indoor Soccer League has been in continuous operation since its founding in 1978. United Soccer Leagues acquired MISL in 2011 with the goal of raising operational standards across the board to a level deserving of the “Major League” label. In the early years, a lack of other soccer options and the novelty of soccer played indoors by six-man teams packed MISL arenas around the country. In recent years, the growth and maturation of North American soccer fans has kept MISL attendance in the thousands per game. According to ESPN, 30 percent of American households have at least one member currently playing soccer at some level. Soccer ranks second only to the NFL as the favorite sport of Americans aged 12-24. And about 10 percent of Americans – 35 million people – describe themselves as “avid” fans of the game. Indoor soccer is a proven revenue generator, yet it remains among the most economical major league sporting concerns to own and operate. Startup costs are not prohibitive. Any arena already has the basic infrastructure for indoor soccer. Organizations currently operating major or minor league hockey, basketball or lacrosse franchises will find economies of scale that can contain costs of fielding an MISL team to a range of $250,000-$350,000. While the audience for soccer is growing daily, some MISL franchises have not kept pace with that audience’s knowledge and expectations of the game. Moving forward, those franchises will not be part of MISL. That opens the door for a new level of ownership that shares MISL’s vision of a bigger, better, bolder, more visible league, ownership with the assets and savvy to operate a major league team at a major league level.
WELCOME TO THE MISL speed
power
action! Take everything people love about soccer, pack it into an area the size of a hockey rink, add thousands of passionate fans and you have the Major Indoor Soccer League. Players streak up and down the floor, shots boom off dasherboards, rebounds careen crazily into play. The pace is frenetic, the action non-stop. MISL has been thrilling fans and filling arenas since 1978. United Soccer Leagues acquired the league in May 2011 with the goal of raising operational standards to assure growth and long-term sustainability. Since then MISL has provided some great moments for fans and the game. We’ve made strides on and off the field in the last three years. But we have a vision of a bigger, better, higher-profile and more-sustainable MISL. We’re inviting new ownership with the assets and capabilities to share our vision of taking the excitement to an even higher level. We will have partners moving forward who share our vision and are capable of meeting the competitive, operational and legal standards of a high-level professional league. Strong ownership committed to our business plan is critical to realizing this vision. Opportunity is at hand. Every major or minor league hockey, basketball or lacrosse arena already has the basic infrastructure for indoor soccer. Existing franchises in those sports already have the key operational bases covered, creating opportunities for new revenue streams. Startup costs for new operations are not prohibitive. MISL has proven itself on the field for more than 30 years and we will take any steps necessary to honor that history while creating a sustainable future for the major league indoor game for years to come.
THE LEAGUE The perfect setting for MISL is a venue like a minor league hockey arena or small-to-medium market basketball arena -3,000-10,000 capacity provides the optimal fan experience. Teams play six aside on an artificial MISL-turf Field 200 feet long and 85 feet wide. Dasherboards, topped by Plexiglas, surround the playing field. Player benches and penalty boxes are behind the dasherboards at midfield. The goal is 8 feet high and 14 feet wide and is set into the boards at both ends of the field. The goal for MISL is to focus on regional play with a national footprint. This allows geographical rivalries to arise organically while keeping travel costs in check. Season Calendar: November - March
Playoffs: Top four teams make the playoffs. Each round is a home and away series
Number of Games: 20
Teams: 2013-14 - 7 Teams, 2014-15 - 12 Teams, 2015-16 - 16 Teams
ECONOMICALLY SUSTAINABLE
BUSINESS MODEL The MISL franchise financial model has been designed to provide team owners with a path to achieving profitability through cost containment methods. The MISL provides attainable team ownership through reasonable franchise acquisition and start-up capital requirements. And a focus on regional competition with a national footprint adds the draw of organically rising rivalries while lowering travel costs.
parking / concessions
LOCAL RADIO & TV
TICKETING
CORPORATE Partnerships
MERCHANDISING
CAMPS / clinics
Sponsorship
GENERATING REVENUE MISL teams have at their disposal a multitude of revenue-generating opportunities. When combined with proactive MISL marketing programs and corporate partnership recruitment efforts targeted to provide direct support to the teams in terms of expense reduction, the opportunity for revenue generation grows exponentially.
INITIAL INVESTMENT AND FINANCIAL MODEL While the cost structure presented here is necessarily an estimate, it has been carefully researched to provide an accurate reflection of actual operating costs. These costs are for startup operations. For existing hockey, basketball or lacrosse franchises, synergies are already in place that mean annual soccer-only costs can be contained in the $200k-$300k range (see following page): Salaries, Commision & Taxes Front Office Team, Coaches & Equipment Player Salaries
$125,000-$225,000 $45,000-$70,000 $100,000-$200,000
Payroll Taxes
$18,500-36,500
Player Housing
$5,000-$10,000
Building Rent & Expenses Arena Rent Arena Staffing & Expenses Game Production
$30,000-$60,000 $5,000-$20,000 $10,000-$40,000
Insurance Workers Comp Health Insurance General Liability
$30,000-$50,000 $10,000-$35,000 $3,000-$5,000
Franchise Fee: $50,000
Annual League Fees: $25,000
Marketing & Printing Advertising Printing Promotional Goods
$25,000-$65,000 $5,000-$20,000 $10,000-$30,000
Other Expenses Travel Media Broadcast League Dues Summer Camp Cost of Merchandise General Office Gerneral Team
$25,000-$40,000 $5,000 $15,000 $5,000-$15,000 $5,000-$12,000 $20,000-$40,000 $20,000-$40,000
Total
$536,500-$1,053,500
Performance Bond: $25,000
SOCCER-ONLY COSTS Any organization already operating in an arena has much of the infrastructure required to launch an MISL franchise. Economies of scale mean actual operating costs of adding an MISL franchise to your existing operating structure are minimal, providing opportunities to increase organizational profitability. Areas of overlap are highlighted below:
Salaries, Commision & Taxes Front Office Team, Coaches & Equipment Player Salaries Payroll Taxes Player Housing
$125,000-$225,000 $45,000-$70,000 $100,000-$200,000 $18,500-36,500 $5,000-$10,000
Building Rent & Expenses Arena Rent Arena Staffing & Expenses Game Production
$30,000-$60,000 $5,000-$20,000 $10,000-$40,000
Insurance Workers Comp Health Insurance General Liability
$30,000-$50,000 $10,000-$35,000 $3,000-$5,000
Marketing & Printing Advertising Printing Promotional Goods
$25,000-$65,000 $5,000-$20,000 $10,000-$30,000
Other Expenses Travel Media Broadcast League Dues Summer Camp Cost of Merchandise General Office Gerneral Team
$25,000-$40,000 $5,000 $15,000 $5,000-$15,000 $5,000-$12,000 $20,000-$40,000 $20,000-$40,000
total soccer only - $250,000-$350,000
OWNERSHIP VOICE Board of Governors: The Board of Governors (BOG) provides team owners with voting control of league governance.
Composition Each MISL team appoints one Governor (owner or highestranking senior executive) and two senior MISL executives will also serve as Governors.
Responsibility The MISL Board of Governors is responsible for making major decisions related to governance of MISL.
SUPPORT FOR SUCCESS
MISL PREMIUM TEAM SERVICES MISL teams may take advantage of the extensive portfolio of premium team services provided by the league office in order to facilitate efficient operations while focusing on revenue generation.
Franchise Training
strategic parnters
Don’t know soccer? Don’t worry. Our staff will get you up to speed in a hurry. We provide operations guides, manuals, videos and personal input to make sure your operation is ready to kick off in great shape.
MISL’s network of strategic partners provides instant credibility and additional support for your organization.
training materials We provide franchisees with access to our licensed comprehensive operations and best practices manuals, as well as customized marketing and ticket sales manuals designed to reflect the specific needs of your organization.
Marketing Manuals Each MISL team receives a customized marketing manual designed to assist the team in promotion of its efforts.
Best Practices Manuals The MISL provides teams with best promotional practices from the sports industry.
Ticket Sales Manuals The MISL provides teams with a customized ticket sales manual in order to increase revenue and simplify the ticketing operation and sales process.
Player Registration MISL’s professional player registration system is in full compliance with all USSF, CSA, FIFA and NCAA rules and regulations.
Communications & Marketing MISL provides dedicated league support for media relations, social media, statistics, publications, photography, video, broadcasting and more.
New Media MISL provides dedicated league support for all new media across every social and digital platform to increase visibility and awareness of all teams.
SUPPORT FOR SUCCESS
MISL PREMIUM TEAM SERVICES intellectual property rights Franchises receive the right to utilize all registered MISL marks, slogans and other intellectual property for promotional purposes.
Operations Our experienced staff covers the bases for all day-to-day operations --communications, creative services, marketing, new media, finance, registration -- to provide go-to help when and where you need it.
Meetings / Seminars MISL organizes and hosts an Annual General Meeting to promote sharing of best practices, provide valuable informative sessions and conduct league business in a one-stop setting.
Minimum Standards MISL establishes minimum standards for franchise operation and ensures quality control to protect the value of your investment and maximize consistency of product in all markets.
Officiating A dedicated MISL Referee Coordinator assigns game officials and oversees training and education to ensure quality officiating.
organic Club Growth MISL’s parent company, USL, operates an integrated pyramid of leagues from elite youth to high-level professional, allowing your club to grow and prosper from within our organization.
Premium Match Balls MISL provides 20-30 official balls for match use during regular and postseason play.
LIVE STREAMING VIA YOUTUBE LIVE NETWORK Youtube Live offers a new and exciting way for MISL franchises to put their product in front of fans who want to see the action but can’t make it to the arena. With support from Google and MISL staff every MISL team can stream games live for the world to witness.
The misl works
closely with each team to develop and maintain successful, cutting-edge social media platforms to help drive online presence. The ever-evolving process is approached on dual fronts; Facebook and Twitter.
Engaging users in their existing environments of comfort is the goal of the MISL. Through the Facebook platform, the MISL is able to establish, maintain and strengthen relationships with fans of all ages.
• • • • • • • • • • •
Rosters Schedules Scores Breaking News Blogs Feature Stories Statistics Video Clips Player Profiles League Standings Club Administration
Through the use of the MISL Twitter account (@MISLsoccer), the league distributes shortform content in order to promote league-wide news instantaneously.
YOUTUBE
MISL.com
The primary tool for dissemination of MISL news, MISL.com provides viewers with unlimited access to the latest MISL happenings. MISL.com is your source for everything including:
Engaging fans and communities through
SOCIAL MEDIA E-NEWSLETTER
The MISL weekly newsletter sends all MISL-related news directly to subscribers’ e-mail inbox. Distributed once a week, the newsletter contains game highlights, player features, industry news, upcoming match promotions and important MISL announcements.
YouTube serves as MISL’s broadband broadcast channel. Providing unrestricted access to viewers at NO COST, YouTube allows fans to follow their favorite team and players while featuring ondemand content accessible from anywhere around the world.
MISL Is a Proven Crowd Favorite with Individual Game Attendance in the Thousands Since 1978 Regional Competition with a National Footprint Builds Rivalries and Contains Costs Any Arena Already Has the Basic Infrastructure for MISL Play Economies of Scale Mean More Revenue Stream Opportunities for Existing Major or Minor League Hockey, Basketball or Lacrosse Franchisees We Invite You to Share Our Vision -WELCOME TO THE MISL! MISL 1715 N. Westshore Blvd., Suite 825 Tampa, FL 33607 USA
Š 2014 United Soccer Leagues, LLC, All rights reserved. Confidential: do not copy or redistribute.
CONTACT: Chris Economides, MISL Senior Director chris.economides@ uslsoccer.com 1.813.269.1355