Full name | Mississippi Beach Kings |
---|---|
Founded | 1997 (as Columbus Comets) |
Dissolved | 1998 |
Ground | Mississippi Coast Coliseum Biloxi, Mississippi |
Capacity | 9,150 |
General Manager | Roy Turner |
Head Coach | Gary Hindley |
League | Eastern Indoor Soccer League |
The Mississippi Beach Kings were an indoor soccer team based in Biloxi, Mississippi, United States. They played their games in the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.[1] They were members of the Eastern Indoor Soccer League and played only during the 1998 season.[2] During the 1997 season, the team played in Columbus, Georgia as the Columbus Comets.[3][4][5]
During their existence, the Beach Kings/Comets played a total of 52 games, winning 21 (including two via shootout) and losing 31 (including four via shootout). They scored a total of 595 goals and allowed a total of 719 goals and notched 65 total points in standings out of a possible 156 points.[5] (The EISL awarded 3 points for a win, 2 for a shootout win, 1 for a shootout loss, and 0 for a loss in regulation.)
The team was successful in Biloxi, earning with the league's second-best average attendance in the 1998 regular season with 3,187 fans per game,[6] and nearly 4,000 per game in the playoffs.[7] The Beach Kings planned to return for the 1999 season but the league shutdown after two other teams withdrew.[8][9][10]
Year | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Attendance Average |
---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | EISL | 7th EISL, 3–21 | Did not qualify | N/A |
1998 | EISL | 2nd EISL, 18–10 | Won Semi-Finals vs. Huntsville Fire (2–1);[11][12] Lost Final vs. Lafayette SwampCats (10–9)[13] |
3,187 |
Head coach Gary Hindley was named EISL Coach of the Year for the 1998 season.[14] General manager Roy Turner was named EISL Executive of the Year for the 1998 season.[7]
Mississippi Beach Kings players named to the 1998 EISL All-League Team included goalkeeper Stuart Dobson and midfielder Novi Marojevic. Players named to the EISL All-League Second Team included midfielder Darren Snyder. Players named to the EISL All-League Third Team included midfielder Curtis Stelzer. Players receiving All-League Honorable Mentions included defender Damian Harley and midfielder Antonio Sutton.[15]
In January 2015, a group of Atlanta-based investors announced plans to potentially revive the Beach Kings as members of the Major Arena Soccer League.[16][17] A local partner was added in February 2015 as negotiations with the league and the arena continued.[18]