The 1982 National Soccer League season was the fifty-ninth season under the

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

(NSL) name. The season began in May, 1982 and concluded in late October 1982 with the NSL Championship final where Hamilton Steelers successfully defended their title against

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 foldin ...

in a two-legged series final. Toronto Italia would still achieve a double by producing an undefeated streak to claim the regular-season title and the NSL Cup by defeating

St. Catharines Roma St. Catharines Roma Wolves (also known as St. Catharines Wolves or simply Roma Wolves), are a Canadian soccer team, founded in 1967. The team currently plays in the semi-professional League1 Ontario in both the men's and women's divisions. The ...

. The season also marked the final time when the NSL would operate a franchise in the United States.

Overview

As reports of a potential Canadian

national soccer league The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

were becoming more imminent as an alternative to the American based North American Soccer League (NASL) two rival parties the Canadian Major Soccer League (CMSL) and the Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL) were attempting to receive sanctioning from the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and were competing for national sponsorship. The CMSL attempted to recruit the Ontario-based

(NSL) to the discussions to deploy the NSL as the league's eastern affiliate. In December, the CPSL was officially announced and set to debut for the following season with two NSL clubs Hamilton Steelers and Toronto Croatia under the name Mississauga Croatia being granted franchises. The CMSL on the other hand received provisional sanctioning from the CSA in January 1983. After failing to secure any national sponsorship the CMSL failed to make its debut. The number of teams within the NSL remained the same as the previous season except for the departure of Toronto Ukrainia. The amount remained as ten teams as a new entry that represented the Latin American community in the

Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater T ...

known as Dinamo Latino was granted an NSL franchise. Near the conclusion of the season, the league lost its presence in the United States when

Detroit Besa Detroit Besa is an American soccer club based in Hamtramck, Michigan, an enclave of Detroit. The club was founded in 1974 and originally competed in the Second Division of the Detroit Soccer League (DSL). In 1979, the club made the transition t ...

withdrew from the competition. A notable friendly tournament sponsored by the Labatt Brewing Company featured European teams such as Celtic F.C.and Dinamo Zagreb against

and Toronto Panhellenic. Toronto Italia managed to upset Celtic with a defeat but ultimately was defeated by Zagreb in the finals. Former league president Joe Piccininni returned to his former post and attempts of a television deal with

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

were announced in hopes of broadcasting league matches.

Teams

Coaching changes

Final standings

Playoffs

Finals

References

External links

RSSSF CNSL pagethecnsl.com - 1982 season
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Soccer League 1982 Season 1982–83 domestic association football leagues

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...