The 1975 Canadian Soccer League season was the fifty-second season for the National Soccer League (NSL) which operated under the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) name for the season. The season began in April and concluded in late October with

Toronto Italia The National Soccer League was a soccer league in Canada that existed from 1926 to 1997. Teams were primarily based in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The league was renamed to Canadian National Soccer League in 1993 following the folding ...

securing a

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

(NSL Championship, and First Division title). Italia would also win the Canadian Open Cup by defeating the

Challenge Trophy The Challenge Trophy (french: Trophée Challenge) is a national amateur soccer cup in Canada contested by the champions of individual provincial soccer competitions. It is one of the oldest soccer competitions in Canada, being held since 1913. ...

champions London Boxing and Athletic Club of Victoria from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. The

Serbian White Eagles Serbian White Eagles Football Club ( sr, Фудбалски клуб Српски бели орлови / ''Fudbalski klub Srpski beli orlovi'') is a Canadian soccer team. The team is a member of the Canadian Soccer League, an unsanctioned soc ...

were the NSL Cup winners and the Canadian representative for the

1975 CONCACAF Champions' Cup The 1975 CONCACAF Champions' Cup was the 11th edition of the annual international club football competition held in the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America and the Caribbean), the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. It determined that year's cl ...

. In the Second Division, the Windsor Stars were the divisional champions by finishing first in the standings, which secured automatic promotion to the First Division. A postseason tournament was utilized in the Second Division were St. Catherines Heidelberg won the NSL II Championship after defeating Windsor. As the membership in the league increased the NSL was divided into two separate divisions (First and Second Division) with a promotion and relegation system.

Toronto Croatia Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...

would purchase 50% of the

Toronto Metros Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...

to form

Toronto Metros-Croatia Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

, while still retaining a reserve team in the NSL.

Overview

The National Soccer League (NSL) went through a series of reforms beginning with the partitioning of the league into two separate divisions (First and Second divisions) with a promotion and relegation system. The top ten teams from the previous year were placed in the First Division, while the remainder and expansion clubs were relegated to the Second Division. How the promotion and relegation system was operated in the NSL was that the last-placed team in the First Division was automatically relegated, while the Second Division champion would receive an automatic promotion to the First Division. The second last team in the First Division would play in a series of matches against the runner-ups in the Second Division to determine which team would be relegated or promoted. A name change was included in the reforms with the league operating under the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) name to distinguish itself from other regional leagues using a similar name. The CSL also provided additional incentives for match competitiveness by issuing prize money to the divisional champions and runner-ups. The Toronto-based CSL teams began using

Lamport Stadium Allan A. Lamport Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium on King Street West in the Liberty Village neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the practice facility for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. It is also partia ...

in 1975, but were forced to split their home matches between

CNE Stadium Canadian National Exhibition Stadium (commonly known as Exhibition Stadium or CNE Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium that formerly stood on the Exhibition Place grounds, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally built for Canadian National Exhi ...

. and

Varsity Stadium Varsity Stadium is an outdoor collegiate football stadium located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the Toronto Varsity Blues, the athletic teams of the University of Toronto. Athletic events have been hosted on the site since 1898; the ...

as Lamport required further repairs throughout the season. The repairs had an economical effect on the Toronto clubs at the

live gate Gate receipts, or simply "gate", is the sum of money taken at a sporting venue for the sale of tickets. Traditionally, gate receipts were largely or entirely taken in cash. Today, many sporting venues will operate a season ticket scheme, which will ...

with only

generating a profit as their home matches were played at York Stadium. The

were embroiled in a dispute with the league executive committee as the White Eagles were banned from league competition after a fan invasion during their

match against

C.F. Monterrey Club de Fútbol Monterrey, often known simply as Monterrey or their nickname Rayados, is a Mexican professional football club based in Monterrey, Nuevo León which currently plays in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football. Founded on 28 ...

. The decision was appealed and taken to the

Canadian Soccer Association The Canadian Soccer Association (Canada Soccer) is the governing body of soccer in Canada. It is a national organization that oversees the Canadian men's and women's national teams for international play, as well as the respective junior sides ...

(CSA) where the ban was lifted with Serbia required to play in a closed venue without spectators. The league ownership began a policy to limit the usage of import players in an attempt to ultimately Canadianize the league, and placed a limit of six import players per team. The boundaries of the league were once more located around the Montreal–Windsor corridor with the CSL returning to

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...

with the Windsor Stars being granted a franchise. Oakville United was granted a franchise and a developmental team sponsored by the

Ontario government The government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor� ...

called the Ontario Selects were placed in the Second Division. The league continued to have a presence in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

with the

Montreal Castors Montreal Castors was a Canadian Association football, soccer team, founded in 1975. The team played in the Canadian National Soccer League, National Soccer League, winning the championship in 1978 and 1979 before withdrawing from the league in 197 ...

acquiring Montreal Cantalia's franchise rights. The rivalry between the NSL and

of the

was further intensified with the Metros ownership attempting to lobby the Ontario Soccer Association (OSA) to place further restrictions on the allowance of imports, and with

becoming part-owners with the Metros. On several occasions, some NSL teams outdrew the NASL club in attendance numbers.

Teams

Standings

First Division

Second Division

Second division playoffs

Windsor Stars,

, Oakville United, and

St. Catharines Heidelberg St. Catharines Heidelberg was a Canadian soccer club based in St. Catharines, Ontario. The club was founded in 1960 and originally competed in the International Soccer League (later renamed Inter-City Soccer League). In 1971, the club joined the ...

were the top four clubs that qualified for the postseason. Though Montreal secured a playoff berth they opted out of the tournament because of a shortage of players due to injuries, and the departure of their imports. The decision resulted in St. Catharines receiving a bye to the finals.

Semifinals

Finals

Canadian Open Cup

The Canadian Open Cup was a tournament organized by the National Soccer League in 1971 where the NSL champion would face the

winners to determine the best team throughout the country. The 1974 edition served as a qualifier match to determine the Canadian representative to the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.

was the NSL representative for the 1975 competition while their opponents were the London Boxing Club of Victoria, who were the

British Columbia Provincial Soccer Championship The British Columbia Provincial Soccer Championship is a soccer tournament organized by the British Columbia Soccer Association. The tournament winner advances to the national Challenge Trophy tournament for men and Jubilee Trophy tournament for ...

, and Challenge Trophy titleholders.

References

External links

RSSSF CNSL pagethecnsl.com - 1975 season
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian Soccer League 1975 Season 1975–76 domestic association football leagues National Soccer League

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...