The Nova Scotia Clippers were a professional soccer team based in the original

Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; french: Ligue canadienne de soccer — LCS) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (C ...

. They were based in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

, but played their matches in

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Dartmouth ( ) is an urban community and former city located in the Halifax Regional Municipality of Nova Scotia, Canada. Dartmouth is located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour. Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes, after the larg ...

at Beazley Field. They played only a single season in 1991.

History

In 1989, an expansion franchise for the

was awarded to the Nova Scotia Professional Soccer Society, which would debut two years later in 1991. They were the first professional soccer team in the Halifax area. The club played their home matches at Beazley Field in

, after the city of Halifax was not interested in hosting the team at

Wanderers Grounds Wanderers Grounds is a sporting complex in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and home to Canadian Premier League professional soccer club HFX Wanderers FC. The grounds were originally part of the Halifax Commons. The land was used in the 1880s by the Halifa ...

. Dartmouth spent $25,000 in improvements to the field, in anticipation of the Clippers arrival. Their head coach and general manager was Gordon Hill. They played their first home match on May 26, 1991 against the

Vancouver 86ers Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

, in front of a crowd of 1,891 spectators, finishing in a 0–0 draw. In September 1991, the club played two exhibition matches against the Bermuda national team. The club finished their debut season with a record of 7 wins, 7 ties, and 14 losses, finishing sixth in the eight team league. The team advanced to the playoffs, losing in the first round to the

North York Rockets The North York Rockets were a professional soccer team based in North York, Toronto, Ontario that competed in the original Canadian Soccer League. They were one of four teams to participate in every season of the CSL. Upon the demise of the CSL, ...

. The club averaged around 1,500 fans per game, although many tickets were handed out for free. There were discussions about moving the team's home field to

in Halifax for 1992, however the team folded after the 1991 season due to lack of interest. After the team folded, the Halifax region was without professional soccer for 27 years, until

HFX Wanderers FC HFX Wanderers Football Club, commonly known as HFX Wanderers, and spoken as Halifax Wanderers, is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League at the top of t ...

joined the new

Canadian Premier League The Canadian Premier League (CPL or CanPL; french: Première ligue canadienne, links=no) is a professional men's Association football, soccer league in Canada. At the top of the Canadian soccer league system, it is the country's primary nationa ...

Season

Players

References

{{Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992) Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992) teams Defunct soccer clubs in Canada Soccer clubs in Nova Scotia Sport in Halifax, Nova Scotia Association football clubs established in 1991 Association football clubs disestablished in 1991 1991 establishments in Nova Scotia 1991 disestablishments in Nova Scotia