The 1985 National Soccer League season was the sixty-second 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 on May 12, 1985, and concluded in early October 1985 with the NSL Championship final where

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 ...

successfully defended their title against Windsor AC Roma. London Marconi secured the regular-season title by finishing first in the standings, and Dinamo Latino won the NSL Cup. After the conclusion of the 1984 season, the North American Soccer League (NASL) ceased operations with former NASL member

Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard may refer to: * Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984), the original soccer club, a franchise of the North American Soccer League * Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993), the later club and franchise of the Canadian Soccer League * Toronto Azzurr ...

joining the National Soccer League as the league remained one of the few professional soccer leagues operating throughout the country.

Overview

The demise of the American-based North American Soccer League (NASL) in late 1984 brought about a significant change to the Canadian soccer landscape as the NASL contained several Canadian teams throughout its existence. Once the NASL ceased operations Canada was without a national

major soccer league Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

as its previous attempt at organizing a domestic national league in 1983 failed after a single season. In relation to the void of a national top-tier league, the Ontario-based

(NSL) announced its intentions of expanding nationally and received corporate sponsorship from Molson Brewery. The NSL was aided by the addition of the former NASL club

as the club's owners purchased the NSL franchise rights of Dinamo Latino in June 1985. According to league bylaws, the Blizzards operated under the name Toronto Dinamo as the name change required the approval of the league's board of directors. The NSL managed to expand into Quebec through an affiliated league known as the Quebec National Soccer League (LNSQ), which officially debuted the following season. Simultaneously the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) also began making preliminary plans for a potential domestic

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 ...

to address the void. Though the NSL ownership was attempting national expansion several of their noted clubs ( Toronto Croatia, Toronto Dinamo,

, and Toronto Panhellenic) submitted applications to the CSA supported league. The plan was officially sanctioned by the CSA with the league expected to debut for the 1987 season, but unfortunately, the majority of the NSL clubs were rejected as the CSA adopted a policy to Canadianize the league with no ethnic affiliated clubs. Only Toronto Dinamo under its previous name as the Toronto Blizzard was granted a franchise. The membership in the NSL increased to eight teams with Windsor AC Roma being granted an NSL franchise, which marked the return of professional soccer to Windsor, Ontario since the 1978 season when the Windsor Stars competed in the league.

Teams

Coaching changes

Playoffs

Finals

References

External links

RSSSF CNSL pagethecnsl.com - 1985 season
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Soccer League 1985 Season 1985–86 domestic association football leagues

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...