Fall River Rovers

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Fall River Rovers
Full name Fall River Rovers
Founded 18xx
Dissolved 1921
Ground
League New England League: 19xx-1909
Eastern Soccer League: 1909-1910
SNESL: 1915-1921

Fall River Rovers were a United States soccer club, based in Fall River, Massachusetts. They won the American Cup in in 1888 and 1889 and won the National Challenge Cup in 1917. In 1921 Rovers were disbanded and a new team, Fall River United were formed to enter the American Soccer League.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Early Years

In the late 1800s Fall River, Massachusetts, together with Kearney, New Jersey and St. Louis, Missouri, emerged as a stronghold for soccer in the United States. In the late 1870s Fall River experienced a period of economic growth, driven by the demand for linen. South-east New England was the birthplace of the United States textile industry and Fall River became known as Spindle City. By 1876 the city was home to 43 factories, more than 30,000 looms and more than one million spindles. Keeping them all working required immigrant labour and, while some of the new arrivals were French-Canadian and Irish, many also came from Lancashire and Glasgow, two of the earliest strongholds of soccer in the United Kingdom.[2] As a result several soccer clubs, including Rovers, emerged within the city. Other clubs included Fall River Olympics, Fall River Pan Americans and Fall River East Ends. These clubs became affiliated to the American Football Association and entered the American Cup. Between 1888 and 1892 teams from Fall River won the cup five times in succession. Fall River Rovers won it in both 1888 and 1889.[3][4] They also competed in several regional leagues and were the New England League champions in 1909[5] before joining the first Eastern Soccer League in 1910. When this league was abandoned during its only season, Rovers were in the lead.[6] Between 1915 and 1921 they played in the Southern New England Soccer League, twice finishing as runners-up in 1917 and 1921.[7] In 1917 they also won the Times Cup, the league cup of the SNESL, defeating J&P Coats 3-0 in the final.[8]

[edit] Rivalry with Bethlehem Steel

During the late 1910s a strong inter-regional rivalry developed between Rovers and Bethleham Steel. The teams played against each other in three consecutive National Challenge Cup finals. Rovers were defeated in both the 1916 and the 1918 finals but won the competition in 1917. The rivalry was intensified by the fact that, at the time, Rovers featured mainly United States-born players while Steel relied heavily on players imported from both the Scottish Football League and the English Football League. In addition neither club was immune from fan violence. The 1916 final, hosted by J&P Coats in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, attracted a crowd of 10,000, almost all backing Rovers. With the score 0-0 after 80 minutes, Steel were awarded a penalty, triggering protests from both Rovers players and fans alike. Steel subsequently converted the penalty, which was enough to win the trophy. However with seconds remaining Rovers were denied a penalty, sparking both a riot and a pitch invasion. The 1917 final saw Steel and Rovers return to Pawtucket to play in front of a crowd of 5,000. Rovers avenged their 1916 defeat with a goal scored in the first minute giving them a hard fought 1-0 win. The 1918 final saw the two teams return to Pawtucket for a third time, this time playing out a 2-2 extra-time draw in front of 10,000. However Rovers lost the replay 3-0 in Harrison, New Jersey. The star of the Rovers team during this era was Thomas Swords, who in 1916 captained the United States in their first official international. Other notable players included John Sullivan, who scored in both the 1917 and 1918 finals, and Jack Albion.[9][10][11][12][13]

[edit] Year-by-year

Year Division League Reg. Season Playoffs National Challenge Cup
1909/10 N/A ESL 1st League abandoned N/A
1915/16 N/A SNESL ? Schedule abandoned Runners Up
1916/17 N/A SNESL 2nd No playoff Champion
1917/18 N/A SNESL ? Schedule abandoned Runners Up
1918/19 N/A SNESL Season cancelled due to First World War ?
1919/20 N/A SNESL ? ? ?
1920/21 N/A SNESL 2nd No playoff ?

[edit] Notable Players

[edit] Honors

[edit] References

  1. ^ Jose, Colin (1998). American Soccer League, 1921-1931 (Hardback), The Scarecrow Press. (ISBN 0-8108-3429-4). 
  2. ^ Soccer in a Football World - The Story of America’s Forgotten Game (2006) : David Wangerin [1]
  3. ^ www.fairchallenge.com
  4. ^ www.sover.net
  5. ^ The Year in American Soccer - 1909
  6. ^ The Year in American Soccer - 1910
  7. ^ www.sover.net
  8. ^ The Year in American Soccer - 1917
  9. ^ Soccer in a Football World - The Story of America’s Forgotten Game (2006) : David Wangerin [2]
  10. ^ www.sover.net
  11. ^ The Year in American Soccer - 1916
  12. ^ The Year in American Soccer - 1917
  13. ^ The Year in American Soccer - 1918