The National Association Football League (also spelled ''National Association Foot Ball League'') (NAFBL) was a semi-professional U.S.

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 ...

league which operated between 1895 and 1898. The league was reconstituted in 1906 and continued to operate until 1921.

History

In April 1895, the NAFBL began operation as the third significant U.S. soccer league. It drew its teams primarily from northern

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Few records exist for the league, but the teams and standings for four of the five seasons do exist. After its first spring-summer season in 1895, the NAFBL moved to a winter schedule in the fall of 1895. On December 16, 1895, the NAFBL opened its second season with a game pitting the Kearny Scottish-Americans and the International Athletic Club.December 16, 1895 ''New York Times''
/ref> In 1899, a deep recession, accompanied by the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

led to the collapse of several athletic leagues and teams, among them the NAFBL. On August 14, 1906, the league was revived and continued in operation until 1921. That year, several of the top NAFBL teams, frustrated by the amateur/semi-professional nature of the league, joined with other top North Atlantic U.S. teams to form the first fully professional U.S. soccer league, the American Soccer League.

1895–1899

Teams

* Americus A. A. (1895) * Bayonne Bayside (1898–1899) *

Brooklyn Wanderers The Brooklyn Wanderers was a U.S. soccer team which was a founding member of the National Association Football League in the late nineteenth century. Later versions joined the original American Soccer League and the reorganized American Soccer Le ...

(1895–1899) * Centreville A.C. (1895–1899) * International A.C. (1895–1896) * Kearny AC (1897–1898) * Kearny Arlington (1897–1899) * Kearny Cedars (1898–1899) *

Kearny Scots The Kearny Scots are an American soccer club based in Kearny, New Jersey. The club presently plays in the Eastern Premier Soccer League, which is a United States Adult Soccer Association-affiliated league and an amateur affiliate of the profession ...

(1895–1899) * Newark Caledonians (1895–1896) *

New York Thistle New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

(1895–1896) * Paterson Crescent (1897–1898) *

Paterson True Blues Paterson True Blues was a professional U.S. soccer team founded in 1887 and disestablished after 1915. The True Blues, based out of Paterson, New Jersey, are best known as one of the dominant soccer teams of its era and one of the first U.S. socc ...

(1897–1988)

1906–1921

Teams

Babcock & Wilcox Babcock & Wilcox is an American renewable, environmental and thermal energy technologies and service provider that is active and has operations in many international markets across the globe with its headquarters in Akron, Ohio, USA. Historicall ...

(1915–1919, 1920–1921) * Bethlehem Steel F.C. (1917–1921) *

Bronx United Bronx United were an early twentieth century American soccer team. It spent most of its existence as an amateur team and also played four complete seasons in the professional National Association Football League. League Bronx United spent the 190 ...

(1910–1915) * Brooklyn Field Club (1909–1916) *

Brooklyn Morse Dry Dock The Brooklyn Morse Dry Dock were an early 20th-century American soccer team sponsored by the Morse Dry Dock and Repair Company (Morse D.D.&R.). The team played its home games at Morse Oval in South Brooklyn. Morse played the 1917–1918 season in ...

(1919–1920) *

Brooklyn Robins Dry Dock The Brooklyn Robins Dry Dock were an American soccer team which took its name from the workplace it represented. The dock was part of the Todd Pacific Shipyards in Brooklyn who formed the professional soccer club in 1918 to play in the National Ass ...

(1918–1921) * Bunker Hill F.C. (1920) * Dublin F.C. (1916–1917) * Clark A.A. (East Newark Clark A.A.) (1906–1907, 1908–1909) * Essex County F.C. (1906–1907) * Gorden Rangers (1906) * Haledon Thistles (1915–1916) *

Harrison Alley Boys Alley Boys F.C., better known as the Harrison Alley Boys, was a U.S. soccer team of the early twentieth century. It spent one season in the National Association Football League, winning the 1915-1916 championship. History The Alley Boys played in ...

(1915–1916) * Hollywood Inn F.C. (1907–1908) * Jersey A.C. (1907–1908, 1909–1918) * Kearny A.C. (1906–1907) * Erie A.A. (1919–1921) *

(Scots-Americans or Scottish-Americans) (1906–1918) *

Kearny Federal Ship Kearny Federal Ship Athletic Association Soccer Club (better known as Federal Ship F.C.) was a U.S. soccer team which competed for two seasons in the National Association Football League. History Federal Ship F.C. was the company team for the Feder ...

(1919–1921) * Kearny Stars (1906–1907) * Newark Caledonians (1912–1914) *

Newark FC Newark Football Club was an early twentieth century U.S. soccer team which played in several leagues including the National Association Football League and Eastern Soccer League. History In 1906, Newark F.C. entered the professional National Ass ...

(1906–1911, 1912–1915) * Newark Hearts (1906–1908) * Newark Ironsides (1916–1917) * New York Clan MacDonald (1907–1908, 1913–1915) * New York F.C. (1916–1921) * New York IRT (1919) * Paterson F.C. (1917–1920) * Paterson Rangers (1906–1915) *

(1906–1915) *

Paterson Wilberforce The Paterson Wilberforce Football Club was a U.S. soccer team which played in the National Association Football League in the early twentieth century. History Based out of Paterson, New Jersey, Wilberforce F.C. began as an amateur team. In 1909, W ...

(1909–1914) *

Disston A.A. Philadelphia Tacony Disston Athletic Association Football Club, better known as Disston A.A. and nicknamed The Sawmakers was a U.S. soccer team sponsored by the Disston Saw Works company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The team played for several ye ...

(Tacony Disston or Philadelphia Disston) (1917–1918, 1919–1921) *

Philadelphia Merchant Ship Philadelphia Merchant Ship F.C. was a short-lived U.S. soccer team of the early twentieth century. It spent two seasons in the National Association Football League and went to the semifinals of the 1919 American Cup. History Philadelphia Merchant ...

(1918–1920) * St. George F.C. (1913–1914) * West Hudson A.A. (1906–1907, 1908–1918) * West New York Burns Club (1906–1907)

Champions

External links

Source

References

{{Authority control Defunct soccer leagues in the United States Sports leagues established in 1895 Sports leagues disestablished in 1921 1895 establishments in the United States 1921 disestablishments in the United States