Sports in Minnesota include professional teams in all major sports,Olympic Games contenders and medalists, especially in theWinter Olympics, collegiate teams in major and small-school conferences and associations and active amateur teams and individual sports. TheState ofMinnesota has a team in all five major professional leagues (Major League Baseball,National Football League,National Basketball Association,National Hockey League andMajor League Soccer). Along with professional sports, there are numerous collegiate teams including theUniversity of Minnesota Golden Gophers andSt. Thomas Tommies inNCAA Division I, as well as many others across theMinnesota public and private colleges and universities.
TheMinnesota Twins are an MLB team that moved to Minnesota in 1961 fromWashington D.C.,[1] where they were known as theWashington Senators. The Twins played their home games atMetropolitan Stadium inBloomington from 1961 to 1981 and theMetrodome inMinneapolis from 1982 to 2009, moving to their current stadium,Target Field, in 2010. They have been to the World Series in1965,1987 and1991, winning in 1987 and 1991. In 2001, the Twins and theMontreal Expos were threatened with closure in acontraction scheme of theCommissioner of Baseball.[2] That effort was unsuccessful, and the next year the team made it to theAmerican League Championship Series (ALCS). Notable current and former Twins includeKirby Puckett,Bert Blyleven,Rod Carew,Tony Oliva,Harmon Killebrew,Paul Molitor,Johan Santana,Joe Mauer,Justin Morneau,Torii Hunter,Joe Nathan,David Ortiz andKent Hrbek. There is aMinor League Baseball team based in St Paul called the St Paul Saints.
The currentSt. Paul Saints are the Minnesota Twins AAA affiliate team. The team used to be part of theNorthern League. The team was founded in 1993 as an inaugural team in the league. They won the Northern League Championship in 1993, 1995, 1996, and 2004.[3] Notable current and former players includeKevin Millar,Darryl Strawberry,Jason Varitek,Jack Morris, andIla Borders. The Saints play their home games atCHS Field inSt. Paul and are the current Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins. They moved to downtown St Paul in time for the 2015 season, to start play at the newCHS Field.
TheMinnesota Lynx are aWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team founded in 1999 and play their home games at Target Center in Minneapolis. The Lynx have won fourWNBA Championships, doing so during the2011,2013,2015 and2017 season.[4] In 2005, the Lynx draftedSeimone Augustus fromLouisiana State University. She quickly became the foundation of the franchise and has been the focus of many WNBA advertisements.Maya Moore, drafted first overall in 2011, has contributed in great part to the Lynx's success, winning anMVP award in 2014.
TheMinnesota Timberwolves are an NBA team founded in 1989[5] and play their home games atTarget Center in Minneapolis. The "Wolves", as they are called by fans, have yet to appear in anNBA Finals series, but made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2004. In 2000, NBA officials ruled that the Wolves violated league rules when signing then-free agentJoe Smith. They then declared the contract was henceforth invalid, fined the organization $3.5 million and took the team's next three first-round draft picks.[6] Notable current and former players includeKevin Garnett,Kevin Love,Sam Cassell,Karl-Anthony Towns,Ricky Rubio,Stephon Marbury,Latrell Sprewell,Terry Porter,Sam Mitchell,Wally Szczerbiak,Malik Sealy,Anthony Edwards andAndrew Wiggins.
TheMinneapolis Lakers were an NBA team that was moved fromDetroit to Minneapolis in 1947. Eventually in 1960, the Lakers moved toLos Angeles, where they became theLos Angeles Lakers.[7] During their stay, theMinneapolis Lakers won the 1947–48National Basketball League (NBL) championship, then joined four other NBL teams in joining theBasketball Association of America (BAA), where they won the 1948–49 BAA championship. After the 1948–49 season, the NBL and the BAA merged to become the NBA. The Lakers then won five championships in six years, in 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953 and 1954.[8] They are considered to be the NBA's first "dynasty". Notable players includeGeorge Mikan,Jim Pollard,Vern Mikkelsen,Slater Martin,Clyde Lovellette andElgin Baylor.
TheMinnesota Vikings are an NFL team founded as an expansion team in 1961. They play their home games atU.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings have won oneNFL Championship in 1969, one year before theAFL–NFL Merger. The Vikings were the first team to appear in fourSuper Bowls, but also lost all of them. Their last appearance in the Super Bowl wasSuper Bowl XI against theOakland Raiders in 1977. Notable current and former players includeWarren Moon,Randall Cunningham,Jim Marshall,Ron Yary,Mick Tingelhoff,Paul Krause,Cris Carter,Carl Eller,Fran Tarkenton,Chuck Foreman,Randy Moss,Daunte Culpepper,Darren Sharper,Jim Kleinsasser,Brad Johnson,Alan Page, the "Purple People Eaters",Adrian Peterson,Randall McDaniel,John Randle,Justin Jefferson,Fran Tarkenton among others.
Before the Vikings, Minnesota also hosted theMinneapolis Marines/Red Jackets and theDuluth Kelleys/Eskimos. Three players who played for Duluth are in thePro Football Hall of Fame. The Duluth teams played atAthletic Park, while the Minneapolis teams played atNicollet Park. In 2014, theBemidji Axemen ofBemidji played two seasons as a team in theIndoor Football League.
TheMinnesota Vixen are aWomen's American Football team (WFA) founded in 1998. They are also the oldest professional women's football team in the U.S.TheMinnesota Machine was aWomen's American Football team (WFA) founded in 2008.
TheMinnesota Wild are an NHL team founded in 2000 based at theGrand Casino Arena in Saint Paul. The Wild have not appeared in theStanley Cup Finals. The Wild made it to the Western Conference Finals in2003, by beating theColorado Avalanche andVancouver Canucks both in seven games after being down three games to one in the series, before being swept by theMighty Ducks of Anaheim. With their second draft pick in franchise history, the Wild draftedMikko Koivu, who now holds the team's record total franchise points. Notable Wild players includeMarián Gáborík,Wes Walz,Darby Hendrickson,Mikko Koivu,Zach Parise,Ryan Suter,Thomas Vanek,Eric Staal,Jordan Leopold, andKirill Kaprizov.
TheMinnesota North Stars were an NHL team that was part of the1967 NHL expansion. The North Stars played their home games at theMet Center in Bloomington. They appeared in the 1981 and 1991Stanley Cup Finals, but did not win either one of them. In 1993, the North Stars moved toDallas, where they became theDallas Stars. Notable players includeHarry Howell,John Mariucci,Gump Worsley,Neal Broten andMike Modano.
TheMinnesota Whitecaps were a professional women's team that played in the amateurWestern Women's Hockey League (WWHL) from 2004 to 2011 and eventually joined the professionalPremier Hockey Federation (PHF, formerly the National Women's Hockey League, or NWHL) for the 2018–19 season as an expansion team. The team has oneClarkson Cup title from 2010, and won theIsobel Cup in their first PHF season.[9] They played atRichfield Ice Arena in Richfield.
In the summer of 2023, the PHF was shut down as part of the launch of a new, unified professional women's league, theProfessional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).[10] TheMinnesota Frost became one of the inaugural six franchises in the new league, and announced that they would play their home games at the Grand Casino Arena.[11][12] The team held the first ever PWHL draft pick and used it to selectMinnesota Golden Gophers forwardTaylor Heise.[13] On May 30, 2024, they became the league's first champions as they won the inauguralWalter Cup.[14] On May 26, 2025, the Frost defended their title and repeated as Walter Cup champions.[15]
TheU.S. Hockey Hall of Fame is located inEveleth, on theIron Range.
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Minnesota United FC is aMajor League Soccer team that was founded in 2010 as the NSC Minnesota Stars. In 2013, the club rebranded with a new crest and a new name, Minnesota United FC. In 2010 when the club was founded, it began to play inNorth American Soccer League in the second tier of US Soccer. In March 2015, MLS announced that Minnesota United had been awarded an expansion spot in MLS. The team continued to compete in the NASL until the 2017 season when Minnesota United began to compete in MLS.[16] This marked the introduction of top division soccer to Minnesota since theMinnesota Kicks dissolved in 1981.[17] Minnesota United currently plays its home games atAllianz Field inSaint Paul. Minnesota United is nicknamed "the Loons" after Minnesota's state bird, thecommon loon. The Wonderwall is Minnesota United’s supporters’ section, a standing room only area behind one of the goals. It is named after theOasis song of thesame name, which is sung after every home game win. Notable players for Minnesota United includeKevin Molino,Darwin Quintero,Osvaldo Alonso,Miguel Ibarra,Ethan Finlay,Emanuel Reynoso,Teemu Pukki,Robin Lod,Michael Boxall,Wil Trapp,Dayne St. Clair,Bongokuhle Hlongwane,Tani Oluwaseyi,Joesph Rosales,Kelvin Yeboah, andJoaquin Pereyra. Minnesota United has had two managers in its MLS run, that beingAdrian Heath andEric Ramsay.
The Thunder were aUSL First Division team founded in 1992 as anamateur men's team, then joined theUSL in 1994, and won the championship of what was then the A-League in 1999.[18] Notable former players includeTony Sanneh andManuel Lagos.
TheMinnesota Lightning were aW-League team founded in 2006. They also played at the National Sports Center. The team folded after the 2009 season.
The newest addition to Minnesota sports, theMinnesota Aurora FC are aUSL W League team founded in 2021 and began play in May 2022.
Bandy has been played on a regular basis in the United States since the early 1980s and the game is most popular in Minnesota, where the winter climate makes it possible to play outdoors for many months a year.
Most games in theAmerican Bandy League are played at theGuidant John Rose Minnesota Oval and most of thenational champions are teams from the state, likeMinneapolis Bandolier,Dynamo Duluth,Minnesota Blades, and Sirius Minnesota. The Bandolier are the most successful team in the United States, having been crowned United States champions ten times as of 2014.[20][21]
Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval was also the main venue of the1995 Bandy World Championship and the2006 Women's Bandy World Championship. It will also host the2016 Women's Bandy World Championship.
TheMinnesota Swarm were the state's professionallacrosse team from 2005 to 2015. All home games for theMinnesota Swarm were played at the Xcel Energy Center. TheNational Lacrosse League (NLL) awarded St. Paul the inactive Montreal Express franchise on August 10, 2004. After eleven seasons of mixed success playing in Minnesota, the Swarm left Minnesota for Georgia as they became theGeorgia Swarm. Swarm owner John Arlotta cited difficulty negotiating a lease with theXcel Energy Center, competition from other local sports teams, and decreasing ticket sales as reasons for the franchise's relocation.[22]
In theTwin Cities, which has always had a largeIrish-American community, theGaelic Athletic Association has a club named afterIrish republican iconRobert Emmett. The club fieldshurling,camogie, andGaelic football teams. On August 2, 2019, the women of the Robert Emmets Hurling Club's Camogie team won the Silver Cup at the 2019 Gaelic Athletic Association World Games atCroke Park in Dublin.
Minnesota plays host to several professional golf events. In 2019, the state became host to the3M Open, aPGA Tour event inBlaine, which replaced thePGA Tour Champions event that was hosted in Blaine annually since 1993. What used to be the Burnett Senior Classic played at Bunker Hills is now the 3M Championship played atTPC Twin Cities inBlaine. Minnesota was the host of the LPGA Classic from 1990 to 1998 at Edinburgh USA inBrooklyn Park. TheNationwide Tour stops annually atTom Lehman'sSomerby Golf Club and Community inByron.
The state has hosted several major events. The U.S. Open has been played in the state four times, twice atHazeltine National Golf Club inChaska in 1970 and 1991, once atInterlachen Country Club inEdina (1930) in Bobby Jones' historic win, and once atThe Minikahda Club in Minneapolis (1916). Hazeltine played host to thePGA Championship in 2002 and 2009, and theRyder Cup in 2016; it will host theWomen's PGA Championship in 2019 and the Ryder Cup again in 2028.Keller Golf Course inMaplewood hosted the 1932 and 1954 PGA Championships, the 1949Western Open, and theSt. Paul Open from 1930 to 1968 (a regular PGA stop).Interlachen Country Club hosted theSolheim Cup in 2002 and theU.S. Women's Open in 2008.
Disc golf courses in the Twin Cities play host to the Minnesota Majestic on the third weekend every June.[23] It is part of theProfessional Disc Golf Association's National Tour, the top level of pro/am disc golf events in America.[24] The tournament has frequented Kaposia Park, Blue Ribbon Pines and Hyland Ski Area, among other courses. The 2010 Minnesota Majestic was the 23rd annual.
The Minnesota Wind Chill[25] were founded in 2013 as an expansion team for theAmerican Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). The team plays in the Midwestern Division of the AUDL. Home games are played on the campus ofConcordia University.The Minnesota Strike[26] were founded in 2020 as an expansion team for thePremier Ultimate League (PUL). Home games are played on the campus ofBenilde-St. Margaret's.
Minnesota had a professional slow-pitch softball team from 1977 to 1979 called theMinnesota Goofy's and then theMinnesota Norsemen. Former VikingBob Lurtsema briefly played for the Norsemen. TheAussie Peppers was founded in 2018 and play inNational Pro Fastpitch.
There are tworacetracks in Minnesota that holdNASCAR sanctioned events.Elko Speedway inElko is a 3/8 mile paved oval, which has held NASCAR events for over twenty years.Raceway Park (Minnesota) inShakopee is a 1/4 mile paved oval.NASCAR drivers from Minnesota include:
Minnesota is known for being the home of theBrainerd International Raceway, which opened in 1963. It has hosted drag racing, road racing, and kart racing.[28]NHRA drivers from Minnesota include:
Perhaps the most successful driver from Minnesota isTommy Milton. Milton became the first driver to win twoIndianapolis 500s with his wins in1921 and1923. Amazingly, Milton was completely blind in his right eye.[29] In 2007Rochester'sLeilani Munter became the fourth woman in history to compete in theIndy Pro Series, the development league ofIndyCar.
The aforementioned Brainerd International Raceway also hosts a 3-mile road course, which held aUSAC race in 1969 among other events.
Rally America, based out of Golden Valley, holds an annual event in the woodlands near Bemidji. Known as the Ojibwe Forests Rally, the event is held near the end of August each year. Rally America also holds events in Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, Pennsylvania, Maine, and Colorado.X-Games superstar,Travis Pastrana, is a regular in the series.
There is a yearlyWorld of Outlaws (WoO) sprint car event held at Princeton Raceway. Known as the PolyDome Princeton Nationals, the event is most likely held at the track due to WoO driver, Craig Dollansky, being from nearby Elk River. The 1/4 mile track leads to some exciting, action-packed racing.
Minnesota has a long history with athletics which dates back to the early years as a state, when arena track racing and college track teams drew large crowds. As the cities and towns in the state of Minnesota grew in the 1890s, track and field events became popular at schools and colleges. The early Olympic competitions (especially the1908 Summer Olympics) boosted the profile of the "marathon," a 26.2 mile road running distance, and Minnesota had its own runnings of the race before 1920.[30]
Minnesota is often touted as one of the healthiest states in America, which coincides with its strong base of road runners and high participation numbers in local road races.[31] By the 1960s, future OlympianRon Daws started the Land of Lakes Marathon in Minneapolis, which grew into theCity of Lakes Marathon. Participation grew in the marathon while local smaller road races flourished.[32] The City of Lakes grew into theTwin Cities Marathon, which first ran in 1982.
The success of OlympianGarry Bjorklund and the speed of Minnesota's ownBoston Marathon-legendDick Beardsley prompted more growth in the sport in the North country nearDuluth where theGrandma's Marathon first ran in 1977. It was named after the restaurant onCanal Park, not the gender and age of finishers. The race posted some of the fastest times in the United States, and it drew international racing competition to theNorth Shore.
Now nearly every high school and college in the state offerscross-country andtrack and field teams for both genders. The state is also host to a team of distance running professionals training for national road races: theMN Distance Elite team (formerly known as Team USA Minnesota).[33]
There are dozens ofrunning clubs in the state, and they compete in a circuit of races known as theUSATF Team Race Circuit.
Today, there are eight Minnesota road marathons certified byUnited States Track and Field:
The state of Minnesota has 27 schools competing in theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Minnesota is one of eleven US states that do not have a school listed as aNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) member.[34]
TheMinnesotaGolden Gophers compete inNCAA Division I as members of theBig Ten Conference for all sports except women's hockey, which the Big Ten sponsors only for men. In women's hockey, the school is a member of the NCAA Division IWestern Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). The Golden Gophers have won 28 total national collegiate championships, including 7 infootball, 5 in men'shockey, 3 inbaseball, 7 in women's hockey, 2 in men'sbasketball, 1 in men'sgolf, 1 in men'strack and field, and 3 in men'swrestling.[35] The entire list of collegiate national championships can be foundhere. The Golden Gophers have also won 178 conference titles. A list of notable former Golden Gophers can be found atMinnesota Golden Gophers#Notable Gopher athletes and coaches.
Four other universities in Minnesota also compete in NCAA Division I with teams competing nationally in ice hockey. The other Division I schools areBemidji State University,Minnesota State University, Mankato (branded for sports purposes as Minnesota State), andSt. Cloud State University and theUniversity of Minnesota Duluth. All of these universities field both men's and women's teams. All four currently compete on the women's side of the WCHA, but have differing homes for their men's teams. Bemidji State and Minnesota State also compete on the men's side of the WCHA, while Minnesota–Duluth and St. Cloud State compete in theNational Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), which only operates a men's league.Duluth Bulldogs have won five Division I championships in women's ice hockey and two Division I championships in men's ice hockey. After the 2020–21 season, Bemidji State and Minnesota State will leave the men's WCHA to become inaugural members of the secondCentral Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). This league is the revival of a former Division I men's conference that had operated from 1971 to2013.[36]
In July 2021, theUniversity of St. Thomas became the state's newest Division I school. TheTommies were expelled from their longtimeDivision III home of theMinnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), effective with the end of the 2020–21 school year, due to perceptions by most of the other MIAC members that they had grown too strong for the conference.[37] St. Thomas soon received an invitation from theSummit League, a non-football Division I conference, to become a member effective upon its MIAC departure.[38] St. Thomas eventually received a waiver of an NCAA rule mandating that Division III schools can only transition to Division II, allowing the school to move directly to D-I on the originally announced schedule.[39] Of the school's 21 varsity sports, 18 participate in the Summit League. Thefootball team plays in thePioneer Football League, a football-only conference that competes in the second level of D-I football, theFootball Championship Subdivision (FCS), thereby becoming the state's first FCS member.[40] Men's hockey joined the revived CCHA,[41] and women's hockey is in the WCHA.[39]
TheNCAA Division II teams in Minnesota primarily compete in theNorthern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). There are 9 Division II classified schools for the 2017–2018 year. The NSIC was founded in 1932 and joined the NCAA in 1992.[42] Teams competing in the NSIC are:[43]
Bemidji State, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State, and St. Cloud State notably compete in Division I in men's and women's hockey. All four are members of the women's WCHA; Bemidji State and Minnesota State are also members of the men's WCHA but set to move to the new CCHA in 2021, with Minnesota–Duluth and St. Cloud State competing in the NCHC. Bemidji State University has won five NCAA Division II titles in men's hockey. Minnesota State has produced won 6 team and 49 individual national championships including men's hockey, women's softball. Minnesota Duluth has produced eight Division II and Division 1 titles, five in NCAA Division I Women's Hockey, one in NCAA Division I Men's Hockey, and two in NCAA Division II Football. Winona State has won two NCAA Division II in Men's Basketball titles. Concordia St. Paul has won nine NCAA Division II titles in Volleyball. Saint Cloud State was won two NCAA Division II titles in Wrestling. Minnesota Crookston, MSU Moorhead, and Southwest Minnesota State have not won any NCAA team titles.[44]
TheNCAA Division III teams in Minnesota play in one of two leagues, theMinnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) or theUpper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC).
Teams competing in the MIAC:[45]
The MIAC was founded in 1920.[46] Conference schools have won 48 total NCAA titles.[47]
Teams competing in the UMAC:[48]
The UMAC was founded in 1972.[49] The conference became an active NCAA Division III conference July 1, 2008. There are seven full member, six from Minnesota. All six Minnesota members are full Division III members.
The United States hockey team won theOlympic gold medal forice hockey in 1980, coached by Minnesota nativeHerb Brooks. Eleven of the twenty players on the roster were from Minnesota.[citation needed] The team beat the long-dominant Soviet team in what has been called theMiracle on Ice, and went on to win the gold medal by defeating Finland.
The 1960 United States hockey team won theOlympic gold medal in the 1960 Winter Olympics. Six of the 18 members of that team were from Minnesota.[citation needed] The team beat the Canadian ice hockey team in the final game to secure the gold medal.A substantial number of players on the 1956 Olympic silver medal hockey team came from Minnesota.[citation needed] The 1948 Winter Olympics had a native Thief River Falls, MN member on the team.The majority of players on the 1972 Olympic silver medal hockey team came from Minnesota.[50]
In the2006 Winter Olympics, both the bronze medalU.S. men's and thewomen'scurling teams came from theBemidji Curling Club.
Bloomington nativeTom Malchow won a gold medal at the2000 Summer Olympics and a silver medal at the1996 Summer Olympics in swimming.
Carrie Tollefson was on the2004 Summer Olympic team as a distance runner and ranked 5th in 2006.
Minnesota was well represented in the2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing,[51]includingSada Jacobson (Rochester, Minnesota) already had won the bronze medal in the2004 Summer Olympic games insabrefencing.
Minnesota Lynx players were part of six consecutive and eight overall victories in women'sbasketball.Seimone Augustus,Sylvia Fowles,Maya Moore,Lindsay Whalen, andKatie Smith were among those who earned Team USA their gold medals.[52]
GymnastSunisa Lee competed in the2020 Summer Olympics and the2024 Summer Olympics, winning a total of 6 medals, including 2 golds.
Summer collegiate baseball is present in Minnesota with the SCBA-sanctionedNorthwoods League. All players in the league must haveNCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate, and therefore are not paid. Minnesota's Northwoods League teams are theDuluth Huskies,Mankato Moondogs,Rochester Honkers,St. Cloud Rox, andWillmar Stingers. The Northwoods League Offices are located inRochester, Minnesota. There are also Northwoods League teams operating inWisconsin,Iowa,Michigan, andOntario, Canada.
TheFargo-Moorhead RedHawks are an American Association team founded in 1996 and based in Fargo, North Dakota. While not primarily based in Minnesota the team also includes fans fromMoorhead, Minnesota. They won five Northern League titles in 1998, 2003, 2006, 2009 and 2010 (the last year of the league).[53]
OtherMinor League Baseball teams associated with Minnesota include theRochester Red Wings (AAA), theNew Britain Rock Cats (AA), theFort Myers Miracles (High-A), theCedar Rapids Kernels (Low-A), theElizabethton Twins (Rookie), the DSL Twins[54] of theDominican Summer League, andGCL Twins of theGulf Coast League, all sponsored by the Minnesota Twins.
American Legion baseball is played throughout the state in summer.
Minnesota has more golfers per capita than any state in the U.S.[55] Hazeltine National Golf Club played host to the 2006U.S. Amateur.[56]
In addition to theBemidji Curling Club whose members competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics, there are over two dozencurlingclubs in the state.
The Twin Cities is home toMinnesota Roller Derby (Saint Paul),North Star Roller Derby (Minneapolis) and Twin Cities Roller Derby (Minneapolis), as well as two junior derby leagues, Minnesota Junior Roller Derby (MNJRD) and Minnesota Frostbite.
Minnesota Roller Derby was founded in 2004 as the Minnesota RollerGirls, and were the fourth flat-track league to host a bout. Their venue for the first season was a roller rink in a northern Minneapolis suburb. After selling out all four bouts in their first season, they were approached by the City ofSaint Paul, which connected them with theRoy Wilkins Auditorium, part of theRiverCentre Complex, making them the first modern roller derby league to play in a professional sports venue, and their first sellout set the modern roller derby attendance record of 4,900 (which was beaten the next month by theRat City Rollergirls ofSeattle, who had recently begun playing in the 15,000-seatKeyArena). The Minnesota RollerGirls are founding members of the Women's Flat-Track Derby Association (WFTDA), the main governing body for flat track roller derby, and have advanced to the WFTDA Championships in 2006, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Minnesota Roller Derby's training organization includes the adult training teamMinnesota Windchill (formerly Debu-Taunts) and junior training teamMinnesota Frostbite.
North Star Roller Derby was founded in 2006 as North Star Roller Girls, and played in a roller rink for two seasons before moving to theMinneapolis Convention Center. They joined the WFTDA in 2009, and competed in the North Central Regional Tournament in 2009 and 2010. In 2015, their primary venue changed to the Lee and Rose Warner Coliseum at theMinnesota State Fairgrounds, where they remain. Their secondary venues includeCanterbury Park inShakopee, Minnesota and the Minneapolis Convention Center. The league rebranded to North Star Roller Derby in 2017.
TCRD and MNJRD play in various venues around the Twin Cities. Twin Cities Roller Derby was founded in 2009 as Minnesota Men's Roller Derby, and rebranded in 2018.
Every year in summer (generally in July) atBlaine'sNational Sports Center theSchwan's USA CUP is played. It is the largest international youth soccer tournament in North America with over 1,000 teams and participants from 22 countries.[57][58]
TheNational Premier Soccer League expanded into Minnesota with a new division within the Midwest Conference called the NPSL North. This new division incorporates existing NPSL teams with expansion sides. NPSL North incorporates teams from the Minnesota as well asNorth Dakota,South Dakota, andWisconsin. Minnesota teams includeDuluth FC,Minneapolis City SC,Minnesota Twin Stars FC,Rochester Med City FC, and Viejos Son Los Trapos FC. The Inaugural season of NPSL North kicked off in 2017 with 8 teams.
Formed in 1953, theMinnesota Amateur Soccer League is one of several adult amateur soccer leagues in the state. MASL is considered the top sanctioned adult league, which features four divisions using the promotion-relegation system.
Bandy in the USA is almost exclusively a Minnesota sport.[59][60] All league matches are played on the largest artificial ice surface of theWestern Hemisphere,Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval inRoseville, venue of the1995 Bandy World Championship and the2006 Women's Bandy World Championship and2016 Women's Bandy World Championship, even by the team fromDuluth. Alsorink bandy competitions are organized. TheUnited States national bandy team is typically the 6th or the 7th best team in the world, thus often having finished either last in Group A or winning Group B of theBandy World Championship. At the2012 tournament they were praised for being better than ever before. However, it was not enough to avoid being relegated to Group B. With an increasing number of participating countries, from the2014 tournament there are 8 countries in Group A, almost securing USA a permanent place for the foreseeable future.
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