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North American Soccer League
1979–80 indoor season

Season	1979–80
Champions	Tampa Bay Rowdies (2nd title)
Premiers	Atlanta Chiefs
Matches played	60
Goals scored	665 (11.08 per match)
Top goalscorer	David Byrne (23 goals)
Average attendance	4,869
← 1979 1980–81 →

The 1979–80 season was the North American Soccer League's first ever full indoor soccer season with playoffs. It began in November 1979, and the championship occurred in March 1980.

Overview

Only 10 of the 24 NASL member-teams chose to field a squad for the 12 game regular season and 6 team, 3 round playoffs. The league decided to make several rule modifications from the NASL indoor tournaments and indoor friendlies of previous years. The most obvious change was the goal. No longer 4 by 16 feet (h x w), the goals now measured a more proportionate 6.5 by 12, with a board or plexiglass panel above the cross bar instead of netting. Rather than being divided into three 20-minute periods (like hockey) as was done previously, or the more recent three 15-minute periods, the game now featured four 15-minute quarters with an extended halftime (similar to American football) and short breaks and the end of the first and third quarters. These modifications were consistent with the rules of the competing Major Indoor Soccer League, which had begun operation in December 1978. Other changes included an extra referee at the bench to keep track of time penalties. Like most American sports, the clock would count down to 00:00 rather than up to "full time" as was done in association football. As before, (like ice hockey) there would be free substitutions, but players now had to touch the wall by their bench before a substitute player could come onto the playing floor. The floor dimensions remained, more or less 200 by 85 feet. Golden goal/sudden death overtime was used to settle games tied at the end of regulation. In the playoffs, 15-minute mini-games were used to decide series that were tied at one victory apiece. Indeed, two playoff series, including the Championship Final between Tampa Bay and Memphis, would need to be settled by means of a mini-game.

Map of clubs

Regular season

W = Wins, L = Losses, GB = Games Behind 1st Place, % = Winning Percentage, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Avg Att = Average Home Attendance

Regular season statistics

Scoring leaders

GP = Games played, G = Goals (worth 2 points), A = Assists (worth 1 point), Pts = Points

Leading goalkeepers

Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; Svs = Saves; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins

Playoffs

Bracket

1st round

Division finals

If a playoff series is tied after two games, a 15 minute, tie breaker mini-game is played.

Championship finals

*Memphis Rogues hosted Game 1 (instead of Game 2 and Mini-game) due to scheduling conflicts at the Mid-South Coliseum.

Championship match reports

February 29, 1980 Game 1	Memphis Rogues	5–4	Tampa Bay Rowdies	Memphis, Tennessee
7:30 P.M. (CST)	Cooke 5:16' (Berrio, Houska) Vazquez 18:19' (Hasanbegović) Vazquez 44:26' (Carbognani) Vazquez 49:27' (Berrio, Husband) Field 52:21' (Rosul, Husband)	Report	Fabbiani 34:02' Wegerle 34:54' (Gorman) Fabbiani 54:44' (Anderson) Van der Beck 56:06' (Fabbiani)	Stadium: Mid-South Coliseum Attendance: 9,081

March 2, 1980 Game 2	Tampa Bay Rowdies	10–4	Memphis Rogues	St. Petersburg, Florida
2:00 P.M. (EST)	Van der Beck 8:05' (Fabbiani) Wegerle 9:20' (Van der Beck) Connell 12:36' (Baralić) Van der Beck 13:16' (Wegerle) Fabbiani 14:54' (Gorman) McLeod 38:00' (Baralić) Fabbiani 41:07' (Gorman) Anderson 41:38' (Fabbiani, McLeod) Connell 50:54' (McLeod) Anderson 56:04' (McLeod)	Report	Carbognani 27:10' (pen.) Field 45:53' (Husband) Rosul 48:38' Rosul 49:50' (Carbognani)	Stadium: Bayfront Center Attendance: 5,545 Referee: John Davies (USA)

March 2, 1980 Mini-game	Tampa Bay Rowdies	1–0	Memphis Rogues	St. Petersburg, Florida
	Anderson 4:48' (McLeod)	Report		Stadium: Bayfront Center Attendance: 5,545 Referee: John Davies (USA)

1979–80 NASL Indoor Champions: Tampa Bay Rowdies

References

1. "Indoor Returning, Officially This Time". Evening Independent. September 28, 1979. p. 4-C. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
2. "Kids hurt playing with Arrows indoors". The Ottawa Journal. December 23, 1978. p. 28. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
3. Tierney, Mike (January 25, 1979). "Rowdies hope to hold onto goalie". St. Petersburg Times. p. 4C. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
4. "Rowdies roll 6-4". St. Petersburg Times. January 26, 1979. p. 1C. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
5. Scheiber, Dave (December 7, 1979). "Indoor soccer: just like hockey without a stick". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2C. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
6. Scheiber, Dave (March 3, 1979). "Rowdies slam to No. 1". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1-C. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
7. "The Year in American Soccer - 1980". Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
8. Scheiber, Dave (February 29, 1980). "Rogues lose star for title go with Rowdies". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1, sec. C. Retrieved August 1, 2016.

• 1979 in American soccer leagues
• 1980 in American soccer leagues
• 1980 in American soccer
• NASL Indoor seasons
• Tampa Bay Rowdies matches
• Soccer in Florida