The Official Website of The
Empire Strykers
The Inland Empire's Best Professional Sports Team
Two New Clubs and a Focus on Growth for the MASL
Major Arena Soccer League Meeting Includes a Welcome for Two New Clubs and a Focus on Growth
At the recent MASL Soccer Board meeting in Baltimore, the two newest members of the league, Sacramento and Lehigh Valley, were welcomed by MASL President Jeff Burum and the other board members and shared a few words about their excitement to join the growing league.
The addition of the new teams fits squarely with Burum’s message to the board about the importance of a few key principles to guide the league going forward. Jeff Burum, those principles are embodied in the terms “Momentum – Action – Structure – Legacy” as guiding principles in advancing arena soccer.
“The Growth of the Empire Strykers is, of course, important to me as is getting people to buy Empire Strykers tickets and Empire Strykers fan gear and growing indoor soccer in the Inland Empire in general, but one team can’t build a league,” Said Burum. “We need all of the teams to be growing their fan bases for the overall success of the MASL.
The meeting also featured and update by MASL Commissioner Keith Tozer and President of Media and Broadcast JP Dellacamera, highlighting the successes of the 2025-26 season. They highlighted the huge growth in viewership on social media and broadcasts which bodes well for the future.
Two new committees were also formed one to focus on expansion by building pods around existing MASL members. This model would build more rivalries and travel partners for member clubs and another was established to focus on corporate partnerships and marketing.
The members unanimously passed a motion to increase the referee budget with a focus on retention, training, and compensation comparable to NCAA, FIFA, and USL, where MASL referees are also working.