David Bascome has signed a deal with the Major Indoor Soccer League to remain with Harrisburg Heat following the collapse of the National Professional Soccer League.

Financial terms were not released, however it is believed that Bascome was seeking remuneration in excess of $60,000 following his most successful season with the Pennsylvania-based club, one which saw him emerge runner-up to team-mate Gino DiFlorio in the NPSL Most Valuable Player Award, while becoming the franchise's all-time leading goal and points scorer.

The signing of Bascome along with DiFlorio, Chris Morman and goalkeeper Paolo Ceccarelli aids Harrisburg in their attempt to secure a core group of top players.

In regard to Bascome, his signing will go a way towards allaying fears held by local supporters as to his financial well being in the face of the aforementioned NPSL failure.

The 31-year-old midfielder recently told of how his family members had been approached by concerned persons in the local community, asking how Bascome would survive in the face of his being out of contract and out of a league at the time.

However, the player, at the time, said that there should be no sorrow over his tenuous predicament with the Heat and the league.

Indeed, those ready to commit Bascome to the poorhouse would want to think again, as Bascome, unlike many professional athletes that fail to prepare for life beyond their playing days, is actually earning more money from endeavours outside of his contract with the Heat.

Bascome runs his own soccer coaching business, Bascome Pro Soccer School, which produces coaching programmes for various clubs within the Harrisburg community and beyond and has authored two instructional videos and CD Roms, grossing more than $100,000 a year. He also has personal sponsors that have him as a pitchman for sporting apparel and a car rental agency which allows him free use of a company vehicle for eight months out of the year.

The major concern for Bascome in actually signing on with the MISL has been the stipulation by the new league that players not be allowed to coach within 70 miles of the club.

"Situations regarding coaching are the biggest concern of mine, because the contract is saying that you cannot coach within 70 miles of your professional team," said Bascome. "And with my soccer school making over six digits, it puts me in a situation where it causes some problems."

With a salary cap being installed by the new league, limiting teams to payouts no more than some $300,000 Bascome said that established players such as himself would have little difficulty garnering decent wage packages.

Bascome would first negotiate a six-month deal to take him through the season, and later establish an off-season deal to cover the next four to six months, meaning that teams could back-load contracts in order to entice good talent that they might not normally be able to employ under the new salary cap, with the off-season deals not counting towards the cap.

Bascome added that he was never fearful of being unemployed for any length of time, having worked hard over the course of his 10 years in the league to get where he is and be able to command respect and a correspondingly good wage.

"When I first came up here I was eating cheese and crackers and had to work hard and dedicate and commit myself to my craft," said Bascome. "Because while in the other big professional sports here you have players with guaranteed contracts, the only real guarantee of a contract is to be a good player."

The MISL is set to include to include six teams, including the Heat, Kansas City Attack, Milwaukee Wave, Baltimore Blast, Cleveland Crunch and Philadelphia Kixx.