List of defunct sports leagues
Encyclopedia
This page lists notable sports leagues which are no longer operating including links to their Wikipedia pages, organised by country and by sport.
Women:
Note: Bolded leagues were competitor of major league NFL.
Rugby League
- Super League (Australia)Super League (Australia)Super League was an Australian rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League of Europe, it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to...
- merged with the Australian Rugby LeagueAustralian Rugby LeagueThe Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
in 1998 to form the National Rugby LeagueNational Rugby LeagueThe National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
- merged with the Australian Rugby League
- City CupCity CupThe City Cup was a rugby league competition involving Australian premiership teams. The post season tournament was a regular feature in the years 1912 - 1925. City Cups were also played in 1937, 1942 and 1959....
Soccer
- Anglo-Australian Football Association
- Queensland British Football Association
- South Australian British Football Association
- Southern British Football Association
- Tasmania British Football Association
- National Soccer League
Auto Racing
- Canadian Association of Stock Car Auto RacingCASCARThe Canadian Association for Stock Car Auto Racing was the governing body for amateur and professional stock car racing in Canada.-History:It was established in 1981 by President Anthony Novotny...
(CASCAR 1981-2006; replaced by NASCAR Canadian Tire SeriesNASCAR Canadian Tire SeriesThe NASCAR Canadian Tire Series , commonly abbreviated as NCATS, is a national NASCAR racing series in Canada that is based from the old CASCAR Super Series which was founded in 1981.-History:...
)
Ice hockey
- Coloured Hockey LeagueColoured Hockey LeagueThe Coloured Hockey League was an all-black ice hockey league founded in Nova Scotia in 1894, which featured teams from across Canada's Maritime Provinces. The league operated for several decades lasting until 1930....
(1895–1925) - Federal Amateur Hockey LeagueFederal Amateur Hockey LeagueThe Federal Amateur Hockey League was a Canadian men's senior-level ice hockey league that played six seasons from 1904 to 1909. The league was formed initially to provide a league for teams not accepted by the rival Canadian Amateur Hockey League . One team, the Montreal Le National, was the first...
(1903–1909) (professional in 1908–09) - Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey AssociationEastern Canada Amateur Hockey AssociationThe Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association was a men's amateur, later professional ice hockey league in Canada that played four seasons. It was founded on December 11, 1905 with six clubs: four from the Canadian Amateur Hockey League and two from the Federal Amateur Hockey League, to bring...
(1906–1909) (professional in 1908–09) - Manitoba Professional Hockey League (MPHL 1907-09)
- National Hockey AssociationNational Hockey AssociationThe National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League...
(NHA 1909-1917) - Canadian Hockey AssociationCanadian Hockey Association (1909-1910)The Canadian Hockey Association was an early men's professional ice hockey league. It was founded in 1909 as the result of a dispute within the Eastern Canada Hockey Association, but was the loser of the dispute. The league survived only a few weeks of play in January 1910 before teams left the...
(CHA 1909-1910) - Maritime Professional Hockey LeagueMaritime Professional Hockey LeagueThe Maritime Professional Hockey League was a professional men's ice hockey league operating in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia from around 1910 until 1915. Two of the league's champions challenged for the Stanley Cup...
(MPHL 1910-15) - aka Interprovincal Hockey League, and Eastern Professional Hockey League - Pacific Coast Hockey AssociationPacific Coast Hockey AssociationThe Pacific Coast Hockey Association was a professional men's ice hockey league in western Canada and the western United States, which operated from 1911 to 1924 when it then merged with the Western Canada Hockey League...
(PCHA 1911-24) - Western Canada Hockey LeagueWestern Canada Hockey LeagueThe Western Canada Hockey League , founded in 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League in 1925 and disbanded in 1926.-History:...
(WCHL 1921-1926) - International Hockey League (IHL 1945-2001)
- World Hockey AssociationWorld Hockey AssociationThe World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
(WHA 1972-1979) - Roller Hockey InternationalRoller Hockey InternationalRoller Hockey International was a professional inline hockey league that operated in North America from 1993 to 1999. It was the first major professional league for inline hockey....
(RHI 1993-1997, 1999)
Soccer
- Canadian Soccer League (CSL 1987-92)
- Canadian National Soccer LeagueCanadian National Soccer LeagueThe Canadian National Soccer League, known as the National Soccer League until 1993, was a professional soccer league in Canada that existed from 1926 to 1997...
(CNSL 1922-97)
Rugby union
- National Provincial ChampionshipNational Provincial ChampionshipThe National Provincial Championship, or NPC, is the major domestic rugby competition in New Zealand. The NPC has seen many alterations to its format and brand. Since 2006 the National Championship has been split into 2 competitions, the ITM Cup and the Heartland Championship...
(NPC, 1976–2005; professional from 1996)- Replaced by Air New Zealand Cup, now ITM Cup, and Heartland ChampionshipHeartland ChampionshipThe Heartland Championship New Zealand Division One competition, known for sponsorship reasons as the AA Rewards Heartland Championship, is a domestic rugby union competition in New Zealand. It was founded in 2006 as one of two successor competitions to the country's former domestic competition,...
in 2006. Although the NPC as a single entity is defunct, its basic structure was largely revived in 2011 with the split of the ITM Cup into two divisions. The main difference between the current format and that of the NPC era is that no promotion from the Heartland Championship to the ITM Cup is currently possible. The NPC featured promotion and/or relegation (or at least the possibility thereof) at all three levels.
- Replaced by Air New Zealand Cup, now ITM Cup, and Heartland Championship
Ice hockey
- Russian Super League (1996–2008)
- Replaced by the Kontinental Hockey LeagueKontinental Hockey LeagueThe Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
in 2008. The KHL also launched with teams from BelarusBelarusBelarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, LatviaLatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, and KazakhstanKazakhstanKazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, and added a team from SlovakiaSlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
in 2011.
- Replaced by the Kontinental Hockey League
American Football
- Amateur American Football Conference (AAFC) (1985–1986)
- American Football League, UK (AFLUK) (1985)
- British American Football Federation (BAFF) (1985)
- British American Football League (BAFL) (1986)
- British Independent Gridiron Conference (BIG-C) (1997)
- Budweiser League (1986–1989)
- Capital LeagueCapital LeagueThe Capital League was an American football league based in the United Kingdom, containing 11 teams from London and the Home Counties. Established in 1987, the league lasted just one season before merging with the British Gridiron Football League in 1988 to become the British National Gridiron...
(1987) - Combined Gridiron League (CGL) (1989)
- National Conference Management and Marketing Association (NCMMA) (1990)
- National Division Management Association (NDMA) (1990–1993)
- Northwest & Welsh Counties American Football League (NWCAFL) (1987)
- South Western American Football League (SWAFL) (1988–1989)
- Thistle League (1987)
- United Kingdom American Football Association (UKAFA) (1985)
- United Kingdom American Football League (UKAFL) (1987–1988)
Basketball
- National Basketball LeagueNational Basketball League (United Kingdom)The National Basketball League, or NBL for short, is a British basketball league. The league started in 1972 and continued through to 2003 renamed the English Basketball League.-1972-1993:...
(1974–2003)
Association Football
- Football AllianceFootball AllianceThe Football Alliance was an association football league in England which ran for three seasons, from 1889–90 to 1891–92.It was formed by 12 clubs as a rival to the Football League, which had begun in the 1888–89 season, also with 12 member clubs...
(1889–1892) - Athenian LeagueAthenian LeagueThe Athenian League was an English amateur football league for clubs in and around London. The league was formed in 1912 with ten clubs, but had to close down in 1914 due to the onset of World War I. When it reformed in 1920, only three of the previous teams rejoined...
(1912–1984) - Chiltonian LeagueChiltonian LeagueThe Chiltonian League was an English football league that existed from 1984 until it merged with the Hellenic League in 2000. It never had a defined place in the English football league system, but successful clubs moved from the Chiltonian League to the Combined Counties League and to the South...
(1984–2000) - Surrey Senior LeagueSurrey Senior LeagueThe Surrey Senior League was an English regional football league for teams based in Surrey although teams from outside the county were often admitted as well. The league existed from 1922 until 1978, when it was rebranded as the Home Counties League in an attempt to attract teams from a wider...
(1922–2003)
Pro Baseball
- National Association of Professional Base Ball PlayersNational Association of Professional Base Ball PlayersThe National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , or simply the National Association , was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 season...
(1871–75) - American AssociationAmerican Association (19th century)The American Association was a Major League Baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball...
(1882–1891) - Union AssociationUnion AssociationThe Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for only one season in 1884. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season...
(1884) - Negro Leagues
- League of Colored Baseball Clubs reorganized as Eastern Interstate League (1887; 1889–1890)
- Negro National League
- Midwestern and southern United StatesNegro National League (the first)The Negro National League was one of the several Negro leagues which were established during the period in the United States in which organized baseball was segregated. Led by Rube Foster, owner and manager of the Chicago American Giants, the NNL was established on February 13, 1920 by a...
(1920–1931) - Eastern United StatesNegro National League (the second)The second Negro National League was one of the several Negro leagues which were created during the time organized baseball was segregated. It established in 1933, two years after the first Negro National League had disbanded...
(1933–1948)
- Midwestern and southern United States
- Eastern Colored LeagueEastern Colored LeagueThe Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Clubs, more commonly known as the Eastern Colored League , was one of the several Negro leagues, which operated during the time organized baseball was segregated.- History :...
(1923–1928) - American Negro LeagueAmerican Negro LeagueThe American Negro League was one of several Negro leagues which were established during the period in the United States in which organized baseball was segregated...
(1929) - East-West LeagueEast-West LeagueThe East-West League was an American Negro baseball league that operated during the period when professional baseball in the United States was segregated. Cum Posey organized the league in 1932, but it didn't last the full year and folded in June of that year...
(1932) - Negro Southern LeagueNegro Southern LeagueThe Negro Southern League was a Negro baseball league organized in 1920 that lasted into the 1940s. Negro leagues in Southern United States were far less organized and lucrative than those in the north due to Jim Crow laws. Tom Wilson organized the Negro Southern League in .For most of its...
(1932) - Negro American LeagueNegro American LeagueThe Negro American League was one of the several Negro leagues which were created during the time organized baseball was segregated. The league was established in 1937, and continued to exist until 1960...
(1937–1950) - Negro Midwest League (194?-19??)
- United States Negro Baseball League (1945–1946)
- West Coast Negro Baseball League (1946)
- Players LeaguePlayers LeagueThe Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League , was a short-lived but star-studded professional American baseball league of the 19th century...
(1890) - Federal LeagueFederal LeagueThe Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that operated as a "third major league", in competition with the established National and American Leagues, from to...
(1914–1915) - American Association (20th century)American Association (20th century)The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
minor league (1902–1962 and 1969–1997) - All-American Girls Professional Baseball LeagueAll-American Girls Professional Baseball LeagueThe All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...
(1943–1954) - Blue Ridge LeagueBlue Ridge LeagueThe Blue Ridge League was a minor league baseball organization that operated for the better part of sixteen years, from 1915 through 1918, and 1920 to 1930....
(1915–1918, 1919–1930, 1946–1950) - Continental LeagueContinental LeagueThe Continental League was a proposed third major league for baseball, announced in 1959 and scheduled to begin play in the 1961 season...
(1960, never played) - Senior Professional Baseball AssociationSenior Professional Baseball AssociationThe Senior Professional Baseball Association was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over . The league began play in 1989 and had eight teams in two divisions and a 72 game schedule...
(1989–1990) - Great Central LeagueGreat Central LeagueThe Great Central League was a short-lived baseball league of four teams that played baseball in the upper Midwest of the United States in . Its only season ended before completion and no championship was ever held.-Teams:*Champaign-Urbana Bandits...
(1994) - United League Baseball (1995, never played)
- Western Baseball LeagueWestern Baseball LeagueThe Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in the Western United States and Western Canada. It's member teams were not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. It operated from 1995 to 2002....
(1995–2002)
Pro Basketball
Men:- AABA-All-American Basketball AllianceAll-American Basketball AllianceThe All-American Basketball Alliance was formed in 1977, with the intention of competing with the established Continental Basketball Association as the premier basketball minor league in the United States...
(1977–78) - AAPBL-All-American Professional Basketball LeagueAll-American Professional Basketball LeagueThe All-American Professional Basketball League was a minor basketball league formed in 2005 by Worth Christie. Announced on January 23, 2005 the league viewed itself as a direct minor league outlet for the National Basketball Association . The best players were to be promised salaries of up to...
(2005) - ABA-American Basketball AssociationAmerican Basketball AssociationThe American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
(1967–1976) - ABL I-American Basketball LeagueAmerican Basketball League (1925-1955)The American Basketball League was an early professional basketball league. During six seasons from 1925-26 to 1930-31, the ABL was the first attempt to create a major professional basketball league in the United States...
I (1925–1955) - ABL II-American Basketball LeagueAmerican Basketball League (1961-1963)The American Basketball League played one full season, 1961-1962, and part of 1962-1963. The league actually folded on December 31, 1962. The ABL was the first basketball league to have a three point shot for baskets scored far away from the goal.-Formation:...
II (1961–1963) - GBA-Global Basketball AssociationGlobal Basketball AssociationThe Global Basketball Association was a minor league with various franchises in the United States. Teams were located throughout the South and Midwest...
(GBA 1991-92 - December 1992, league folded midway through 1992-93 season) - IBA-International Basketball AssociationInternational Basketball AssociationThe International Basketball Association was founded by Alexandria, Minnesota entrepreneur Thomas Anderson in 1995. Anderson traveled the Upper Midwest searching for franchise owners for a couple of years before the league began play with five teams in the 1995-1996 season...
(1995–2001) - IBL-International Basketball League (1999–2001)
- NBL-National Basketball LeagueNational Basketball League (United States)Founded in 1937, the National Basketball League, often abbreviated to NBL, was a professional men's basketball league in the United States. The league would later merge with the Basketball Association of America to form the National Basketball Association in 1949.- League history :The...
(1937–1949) - NPBL-National Professional Basketball League (1950–1951)
- NRL-National Rookie LeagueNational Rookie LeagueThe National Rookie League was an American unaffiliated minor league for the National Basketball Association that completed its inaugural season in August, 2000....
(2000–2002) - PBLA-Professional Basketball League of AmericaProfessional Basketball League of AmericaThe Professional Basketball League of America was a basketball league in the United States that was started in 1947 in response to the tremendous upsurge in interest in basketball in the era immediately following World War II...
(1947–1948) - WBA-Western Basketball AssociationWestern Basketball AssociationThe Western Basketball Association was formed in 1978 and played for one season during 1978-79. Organized by Larry Cregar, a former assistant coach in the National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association , and real estate developer Neil Christianson.The seven-team league...
(1978–79) - WBL-World Basketball LeagueWorld Basketball LeagueWorld Basketball League was a minor professional basketball league in the United States and Canada. It was founded as the International Basketball Association in November 1987, before changing its name prior to the 1988 season. One of the major differences between it and other leagues was that it...
(1988–1992)
Women:
- Women's Pro Basketball League (WBL 1978-81)
- Liberty Basketball Association, a woman's pro basketball league.
- American Basketball LeagueAmerican Basketball League (1996-1998)The American Basketball League, often abbreviated to the ABL of 1996 was an independent professional basketball league for women in the United States. At the same time the ABL was being formed, the National Basketball Association was creating the Women's National Basketball Association...
III (ABL 1996-1998)
Pro Football
- AAFC - All-America Football ConferenceAll-America Football ConferenceThe All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
(1946–1949) - AFL - American Football LeagueAmerican Football League (1926)The first American Football League , sometimes called AFL I, AFLG, or the Grange League, was a professional American football league that operated in 1926. It was the first major competitor to the National Football League. Founded by C. C...
(1926) - AFL - American Football LeagueAmerican Football League (1936)Sometimes called AFL II, the second American Football League was a professional American football league that operated in 1936 and 1937. The AFL operated in direct competition with the more established National Football League throughout its existence...
(1936–1937) - AFL - American Football LeagueAmerican Football League (1940)American Football League, also known as the AFL III to distinguish it from earlier organizations of that name, was a major professional American football league that operated from 1940-1941...
(1940–1941) - AFL - American Football LeagueAmerican Football LeagueThe American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
(1960–1969, now the American Football Conference of the major league NFL) - AFL – Arena Football LeagueArena Football LeagueThe Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
(1987–2008)- The AFL returned in 2010, but is a separate legal entity from the original AFL. The current league purchased the assets of the original AFL in a bankruptcy auction, enabling it to brand itself as the first league's successor.
- af2AF2AF2 was the name of the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup...
(2000–2009), the Arena Football League's official minor league- Many of the teams in the revived AFL are former af2 teams. In fact, the original lineup of Arena Football 1, the league that morphed into the revived AFL, included more af2 teams than former AFL teams.
- CFL - Continental Football LeagueContinental Football LeagueThe Continental Football League was a professional minor American football league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to become the major force in professional football outside of the...
(1965–1969) - IFL - Indoor Football LeagueIndoor Football LeagueThe Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an...
(1999–2000) - IPFL - Indoor Professional Football LeagueIndoor Professional Football LeagueThe Indoor Professional Football League was the new incarnation of the Professional Indoor Football League , which started in 1998. Two of its teams left the league and their owner, Kerry Ecklund, founded the Indoor Football League in 1999...
(1999–2001) - PIFL - Professional Indoor Football LeagueProfessional Indoor Football LeagueThe Professional Indoor Football League was the second league to successfully play indoor football as a paid pro-league sport, after the Arena Football League. Since the AFL had a patent given in 1990 on the gameplay of "Arena Football" , the PIFL played with mostly the same rules, but without the...
(1998) - PSFL - Professional Spring Football LeagueProfessional Spring Football LeagueThe Professional Spring Football League was an outdoor football league slated to begin in 1992. The league had a preview show on SportsChannel America in late 1991/early 1992, laying out the ten teams that would play. The league was founded by Vincent Sette, a computer sales executive...
(1991 - Training Camp) - USFL - United States Football LeagueUnited States Football LeagueThe United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
(1983–1985) - WFL - World Football LeagueWorld Football LeagueThe World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
(1974–1975) - XFLXFLThe XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001. The league was founded by Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WWE...
(2001)
Note: Bolded leagues were competitor of major league NFL.
Pro Hockey
- World Hockey AssociationWorld Hockey AssociationThe World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
(WHA 1972-1979) - Pacific Coast Hockey AssociationPacific Coast Hockey AssociationThe Pacific Coast Hockey Association was a professional men's ice hockey league in western Canada and the western United States, which operated from 1911 to 1924 when it then merged with the Western Canada Hockey League...
(PCHA 1911-1924) - International Hockey League (IHL 1945-2001)
- Roller Hockey InternationalRoller Hockey InternationalRoller Hockey International was a professional inline hockey league that operated in North America from 1993 to 1999. It was the first major professional league for inline hockey....
(RHI 1993-1997, 1999)
Pro Soccer (Association Football)
- A-LeagueA-League (1995–2004)The A-League was a professional men's soccer league which featured teams from both the United States and Canada. The A-League emerged out of the restructured American Professional Soccer League in 1995 and operated until 2004, after which it was re-branded the USL First Division...
(1995–2004; succeeded by USL First Division) - American Football AssociationAmerican Football AssociationAmerican Football Association was the first attempt in the United States to form an organizing soccer body. It is best known for being the second oldest sports league to form, behind Major League Baseball in 1876, as well as being the oldest soccer league in the United States. The Association was...
(1896–1907) - American Professional Soccer LeagueAmerican Professional Soccer LeagueThe American Professional Soccer League is a former professional men's soccer league which featured teams from both the United States and Canada. It was the first outdoor soccer league to feature teams from throughout the United States since the demise of the original North American Soccer League...
(1990–1994; operated as A-League in 1995–1996) - American Soccer LeagueAmerican Soccer LeagueThe American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
(1921–1933, 1933–83, 1988–1989) - Continental Indoor Soccer LeagueContinental Indoor Soccer LeagueThe Continental Indoor Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997.-History:When the Major Soccer League folded in the summer of 1992, two of its former teams joined a group of hockey and basketball arena owners led by Ron Weinstein who wanted to create a league to...
(CISL 1993-97) - Major Soccer LeagueMajor Soccer LeagueThe Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
aka Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) - Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL 2001-2008)
- North American Soccer LeagueNorth American Soccer LeagueNorth American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
(NASL 1968-1984) - United Soccer LeagueUnited Soccer LeagueThe United Soccer League was a professional soccer league in the United States in the mid-1980s.After the demise of the second incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1983, four ASL teams founded the USL...
(1984–85) - USL First DivisionUSL First DivisionThe United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
(formally 2005–2010, last competitive season was 2009; folded into USL ProUSL ProThe USL Professional Division, commonly known as USL Pro , is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011....
for 2011) - USL Second DivisionUSL Second DivisionThe United Soccer Leagues Second Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, part of the United Soccer Leagues league pyramid...
(1990–2010; folded into USL Pro) - USSF Division 2 Professional LeagueUSSF Division 2 Professional LeagueUSSF Division 2 Professional League was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation in 2010 to last just one season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding United Soccer Leagues and the North American Soccer League...
(2010 only; compromise between the feuding USLUnited Soccer LeaguesThe United Soccer Leagues is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Pro, the USL Premier Development League, the W-League, and...
and new NASL) - Women's United Soccer AssociationWomen's United Soccer AssociationThe Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...
(WUSA 2001-2003; revived in 2009 as Women's Professional SoccerWomen's Professional SoccerWomen's Professional Soccer is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion...
) - World Indoor Soccer LeagueWorld Indoor Soccer LeagueThe World Indoor Soccer League was a United States based indoor soccer league that existed from 1998 to 2001 and consisted of nine teams.-History:...
(WISL 1998-2001) - Xtreme Soccer LeagueXtreme Soccer LeagueThe Xtreme Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that began play in December 2008. Four teams from the former Major Indoor Soccer League participated in the first XSL season--- the Chicago Storm, Detroit Ignition, Milwaukee Wave, and New Jersey Ironmen...
(XSL 2008-09)
Other
- International Boxing League (IBL 1969-70)
- International Roller Derby League (IRDL 1935-73)
- International Volleyball AssociationInternational Volleyball AssociationThe International Volleyball Association was a short lived co-ed professional volleyball league in the United States from 1975 to 1979. Like other major sports leagues in the United States, it had two geographic divisions. However, its teams were entirely in the west...
(IVA 1974) - Japan Soccer LeagueJapan Soccer League, or JSL, was the top flight soccer league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J. League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional Japanese Baseball League that was founded in 1936...
(JSL 1965-1992) - Championship Gaming SeriesChampionship Gaming SeriesThe Championship Gaming Series was an international electronic sports league based in the United States of America, though it had expanded to every continent except Antarctica for Season Two before being abruptly discontinued....
(CGS 2007-08) - National Bowling LeagueNational Bowling LeagueThe National Bowling League is a defunct professional bowling league that existed from Oct. 12, 1961 to May 6, 1962. The league as formed as an attempt to ride the popularity of bowling television shows, and also to challenge to the Professional Bowlers Association .The league was the brainchild...
(NBL 1961-62) - Major League VolleyballMajor League VolleyballMajor League Volleyball was a women's professional volleyball league in the United States. It was established in 1987 and disbanded during its third season on March 20, 1989. The content, records, and player information were obtained from my collection of VCR recordings of the original ESPN...
(1987–89) - World League of American FootballWorld League of American FootballThe World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...
/ NFL EuropeNFL EuropeNFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
(1991–2007) - Pro CricketPro CricketPro Cricket was a professional cricket league in the United States. It was operated by American Pro Cricket LLC , a private company independent of the ICC and the USACA. Kalpesh Patel served as Pro Cricket's chairman and commissioner....
(2004) - Professional Slow Pitch Softball LeagueProfessional Slow Pitch Softball LeagueDuring the late 1970s and early 1980s, several professional softball leagues were formed in the United States to build on the growth and talent in the booming men's amateur game during this period....
s (1977–82) - United States Professional Volleyball (USPV 2002-03)
- World Team TennisWorld Team TennisWorld TeamTennis is a coed professional tennis league played with a unique team format in the United States. Each match consists of five sets. Each set features a different configuration . Coaches, before the match, decide the order in which the sets will be played...
(WTT 1974-78) - Women's American footballWomen's American footballWomen have begun playing full-contact American football. Most leagues play by the same rules as their male counterparts, with one exception: women's leagues use a slightly smaller football. Women primarily play on a semi-professional or amateur level in the United States...
leagues since 2004 - Women's Western Volleyball LeagueWomen's Western Volleyball LeagueThe Women's Western Volleyball League was created by Ralph Christ in August 1992. The first game was the Ventura Slammers at the San Bernardino Jazz on February 17, 1993. It was around for two seasons in 1993–1994. Champions in 1993 were the San Diego Wave. In 1994 the champions were the San...
(WWVL 1993-94)
External links
- North American Pro Sports Teams- Lists every imaginable league that has operated in Canada and / or the United States. Grouped by city.