DETROIT SAFARI

The 'Detroit Safari' (originally 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 prohibitted player-coaches) was experienced indoor player Andy Chapman. They led the league in attendance in their first season (1994) and never placed below fifth in league attendance for a season. 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 IHL Detroit Vipers. In 1997 the naming rights were sold to General Motors and they were named after the GMC Safari minivan. They folded along with the closing of the Continental Indoor Soccer League after the 1997 season.