Indy Eleven

Thanks in part to efforts from a grassroots soccer organization known as the Brickyard Battalion, on January 16, 2013, the NASL announced that an Indianapolis expansion team owned by Ersal Ozdemir, CEO of Keystone Group LLC, would join the league in 2014. Ozdemir named Peter Wilt as the team's first president and general manager, after the veteran American soccer executive had served in a consulting role to explore the viability of professional soccer in Indianapolis in the three months leading up to the January 2013 announcement.

The name and club colors were officially revealed to the public on April 25, 2013, during a ceremony held at Indianapolis' Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument. The team was named after the 11th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment, an infantry regiment that served with notoriety in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Colonel Lew Wallace commanded the regiment, which was mustered on April 25, 1861. The team name reflects both the culture of the game and pays homage to the history of the state. The number also is an obvious reference to the number of players on the field when at full strength. The number eleven is also important to the world-renowned Indianapolis 500, with the race traditionally featuring eleven rows of cars and drivers and the first race being held in 1911.

Indy Eleven named former Indiana University standout and U.S. international, English Premier League, and Major League Soccer (MLS) veteran Juergen Sommer as its first head coach/director of soccer operations on June 11, 2013. On October 1, 2013, the team announced Kristian Nicht as their first signing.

Even though the team did not begin play until the spring 2014 season, the team announced in November 2013 that it had already sold over 7,000 season tickets, and in capping season ticket sales, became the first team in NASL history to have a wait list for season tickets.

The team made its NASL regular-season debut on April 12, 2014, in a 1–1 draw against the Carolina Railhawks at home in front of 11,048 fans at Carroll Stadium.

On June 2, 2015, Sommer was fired as manager, with Tim Regan taking over in an interim capacity. Regan's interim role ended on December 2 with Tim Hankinson being appointed as the club's manager.

Indy Eleven won the 2016 Spring Championship after an undefeated season. The team, in a game called "The Miracle at the Mike," overturned a three-goal tiebreaker deficit to secure its first title.

On January 31, 2017, the Eleven announced that they would seek to join Major League Soccer during the league's expansion efforts for teams to join by 2020. The Eleven were passed over in the initial 2017 bidding.

On November 28, 2017, the Eleven announced that Tim Hankinson would not be returning as manager for the 2018 season.

On January 10, 2018, the Eleven announced they had left the NASL and joined the United Soccer League for the 2018 season. Martin Rennie was then named as the Eleven's new head coach on January 16.

On March 27, 2020, The Shop Indy teamed up with Indy Eleven to start selling t-shirts with "Indy Eleven Cares" on it in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds from the t-shirt sells would go to the Community Health Network Foundation's Lisa Borinstein Caregiver Assistance Fund to help employees and caregivers pay for medical expenses, transportation, food, and more.

On June 16, 2021, Indy Eleven and Rennie mutually agreed to part ways after four seasons. Rennie managed 99 matches and was the longest tenured coach in Indy Eleven history.

On November 16, 2021, Indy Eleven named Mark Lowry as the team's new head coach and fourth in club history.

On November 28, 2023, Indy Eleven announced the departure of Lowry after two seasons. Lowry led the Eleven to an overall regular season record of 25–28–15 and their first USL Championship playoff appearance since 2019.

On January 8, 2024, the club named former Minnesota United interim manager Sean McAuley as head coach, the fifth in club history.

Major League Soccer

Indianapolis became the 12th team to apply for one of four available expansion spots in MLS, submitting their application just before the January 31, 2017, deadline. However, on November 29, 2017, MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced the four finalist cities for the round of expansion and Indianapolis was not among them. Subsequently, Indy Eleven released a statement claiming, "We are planning on being a finalist for the next round of MLS expansion opportunities." Despite Indy Eleven's persistence to establish a stadium deal with the city and a location for the venue, other cities surpassed their efforts and were awarded franchises. This included Cincinnati, Nashville, Sacramento, St. Louis, and Charlotte, along with a new team in Austin.

Greg Stremlaw reiterated after Charlotte was accepted to MLS in December, 2019, as the league's 30th team, that Indy Eleven is still committed to their bid and believes further expansion will occur. Stremlaw stated, "I think we have a very strong application" and claimed that the ownership group and the bid will stick to the process that they have followed throughout the expansion talks.

Indy Eleven Women

On September 24, 2021, Indy Eleven announced the fielding of a team in the amateur USL W League as part of the league's inaugural season in 2022. The team was the 17th team to be announced for the amateur women's league. The team hosted the league's first-ever match, defeating Kings Hammer FC 3–1. Indy Eleven won the Great Lakes Division in an undefeated 10–0–2 season and advanced to the playoffs, where they fell to eventual finalists Minnesota Aurora FC 2–1 in the quarter-finals.

On May 16, 2023, Indy Eleven announced that they had also acquired a franchise in the forthcoming professional USL Super League.

In the 2023 USL W League season, Indy Eleven won the USL W League's Valley division on head-to-head tiebreaker against Racing Louisville FC, then won the Central Conference championship over Minnesota Aurora FC. The campaign included a league-record 16–0 victory against St. Charles FC to clinch the division, avenging Indy Eleven's only loss during the season. Indy then advanced to its first national championship finals match on a 91st-minute stoppage-time goal by Alia Martin to defeat the San Francisco Glens 3–2 in the national semi-finals. Indy Eleven defeated the North Carolina Courage U23 2–1 to earn their first USL W League Championship.

Following the confirmation on February 9, 2024, that the USL Super League would receive Division One Sanctioning from the U.S. Soccer Federation ahead of the inaugural 2024–25 Super League season, the team announced the Indianapolis franchise would begin play following the completion of Eleven Park Stadium in 2025.

Year-by-year

As of July 14, 2023