Founded 1993 | Based in Auburn Hills | |
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Cisl indiana twisters at detroit safari 9 6 1997
The Detroit Safari (founded as the Detroit Neon) was a member of the Continental Indoor Soccer League that played at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Their owners, the Palace Sports Group were awarded a franchise on November 4, 1993. Their star player and unofficial coach (the CISL prohibited player-coaches) was experienced indoor player Andy Chapman.
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The name Detroit Neon was a reference to the Dodge Neon and came from a sponsorship from the Chrysler Corporation like fellow Palace Sports team the International Hockey League Detroit Vipers. In 1997 the naming rights were sold to General Motors and they were named after the GMC Safari minivan. The team folded along with the closing of the Continental Indoor Soccer League after the 1997 season.
During the team's existence, some games (including all 1997 home games) were televised on PASS Sports. They led the league in attendance in their first season (1994) and never placed below fifth in league attendance for a season. During the five seasons that the Neon/Safari played, their average attendance was 6,232.