New Bedford Whalers was the name of three American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

teams based in

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...

. The first Whalers played in the

Southern New England Soccer League The Southern New England Soccer League was a semi-professional soccer league based in New England which was established in 1914 and collapsed in 1921. During its short existence, it featured some of the top teams in the northeast United States. ...

between 1914 and 1918. The second Whalers played in the American Soccer League between 1924 and 1931 before merging into

Fall River F.C. Fall River Football Club, also referred to as Fall River Field Club, was the name used by two United States soccer clubs, based in Fall River, Massachusetts. Both played in the American Soccer League during the early 1930s. The name is often used ...

The third Whalers were then formed when Fall River merged with

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

. They played in the ASL between 1931 and 1932.

New Bedford Whalers I

Founded in September 1913, the first Whalers originally played as New Bedford F.C. and played in the

between 1914 and 1918. Immediately after their founding, they entered the 1913–14 National Challenge Cup. They went to the semifinals, falling to eventual champions,

Brooklyn Field Club Brooklyn Field Club was a soccer team based in Brooklyn, New York, that existed from 1898 to 1924. It is one of the few to predate the United States Soccer Federation, which was founded in 1913. Between 1909 and 1916 they played in the second Na ...

. They first played used the Whalers name in 1915. This team finished as league champions in both 1915 and 1917. Other teams in the league included

Fall River Rovers Fall River Rovers were a United States soccer club, based in Fall River, Massachusetts. They won the 1888 and 1889 American Cups as well as the 1917 National Challenge Cup. In 1921 Rovers were disbanded and a new team, Fall River United were for ...

. Of the five men who founded the club, John Fernley later became the president of the USFA and is in the

National Soccer Hall of Fame The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 and currently located in Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The Hall of Fame honors soccer achievements in the United States. Induction ...

. New Bedford was noted as having three full kits, a home, away and third kit.

New Bedford Whalers II

In 1924 a second New Bedford Whalers, formed by former members of

, joined the American Soccer League. In both

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...

and

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

they finished as runners-up in the league and quickly developed a rivalry with

Fall River Marksmen Fall River Marksmen was an American soccer club based in Fall River, Massachusetts. They originally played as Fall River United before becoming known as the Marksmen after their owner, Sam Mark. During the 1920s and early 1930s they were one of t ...

.''Soccer in a Football World – The Story of America’s Forgotten Game'' (2006) : David Wangeri

/ref> In 1926 the second Whalers won their only major trophy when they defeated New York Giants (soccer)#New York Giants II, New York Giants 5–4 in a two-game series to win the Lewis Cup. 1926 also saw the Whalers play in the one-off 1926 International Soccer League season which featured teams from both the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. In 1929 the ASL and the

US Football Association The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...

became involved in a power struggle, sometimes referred to as the ''Soccer Wars''. This resulted in the emergence of a rival

Eastern Soccer League Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways * Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air ...

, organized by the USFA. The Whalers began the year in the ASL but subsequently joined the ESL. However, after just 8 games they rejoined the ASL. On their return they finished as ASL runners-up in both the Spring 1930 and Fall 1930 seasons. However the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

severely effected the teams support and they failed to complete the Spring 1931 season. On April 19, 1931 they merged into

New Bedford Whalers III

The third Whalers were actually a successor club of

. Like the second Whalers, the Marksmen had also suffered because of the

and for the Spring 1931 season their owner,

Sam Mark Sam Mark (born Markelevitch in Fall River, Massachusetts) is a former United States soccer club owner. During the 1920s and early 1930s he was the owner of Fall River Marksmen, one of the era's most successful teams. Mark's continued to own the tea ...

, relocated them to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

where they merged with

New York Soccer Club New York Soccer Club ( Youth Soccer Team ) was the name of a New York soccer team that, in 1930, played briefly in the American Soccer League. In 1923, New York fur merchant Maurice Vandeweghe - the father and grandfather of later basketball stars ...

, previously known as the New York Giants (soccer)#New York Giants II, New York Giants, and became the

. However the relocation to New York was not a financial success and for the Fall 1931 season, Mark relocated his team again. This time they merged with

and revived the New Bedford Whalers name. The third Whalers were the American Soccer League champions for the Fall 1931 and Spring 1932 seasons and won the 1932 National Challenge Cup but then folded during the Fall 1932 season

Year-by-year

Former managers

Harold Brittan Harold Pemberton Brittan (11 November 1894 – 9 April 1964) was a U.S.-English soccer center forward. He began his career in England with Chelsea before moving to the United States. In the U.S., he was a prolific goalscorer with the powerhous ...

: 1926

Honors

New Bedford Whalers I *

**''Winners'' 1914–15, 1916–17: 2 New Bedford Whalers II * American Soccer League **''Runners Up'' 1925–26, 1927–28, Spring 1930, Fall 1930: 4 *Lewis Cup **''Winners'' 1926: 1 **''Runners Up'' 1929: 1 New Bedford Whalers III * American Soccer League **''Winners''

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

: 1 *

National Challenge Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. O ...

**''Winners''

: 1

References

{{USSoccer Defunct soccer clubs in Massachusetts American Soccer League (1921–1933) teams Fall River Marksmen New York Giants (soccer) Southern New England Soccer League teams Eastern Professional Soccer League (1928–29) teams 1921 establishments in Massachusetts 1933 disestablishments in Massachusetts Association football clubs disestablished in 1933 Association football clubs disestablished in 1921 U.S. Open Cup winners