- New Bedford Whalers
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New Bedford Whalers Full name New Bedford Whalers Founded 19xx Dissolved 19xx Chairman 
Sam Mark: 1931-1932League SNESL: 1914-1918
American Soccer League: 1924-1932
→ International Soccer League: 1926
→ Eastern Soccer League: 1929New Bedford Whalers was the name of three United States soccer teams based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The first Whalers played in the Southern New England Soccer League between 1914 and 1918. The second Whalers played in the American Soccer League between 1924 and 1931 before merging into Fall River F.C.. The third Whalers were then formed when Fall River merged with New York Yankees. They played in the ASL between 1931 and 1932.
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New Bedford Whalers I
The first Whalers originally played as New Bedford F.C. and played in the Southern New England Soccer League between 1914 and 1918. 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 [1].
New Bedford Whalers II
In 1924 a second New Bedford Whalers, formed by former members of Fall River Rovers, joined the American Soccer League [2]. In both 1926 and 1928 they finished as runners-up in the league and quickly developed a rivalry with Fall River Marksmen [3]. In 1926 the second Whalers won their only major trophy when they defeated 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 and Canada [4]. In 1929 the ASL and the US Football Association became involved in a power struggle, sometimes referred to as the Soccer Wars. This resulted in the emergence of a rival Eastern Soccer League, organised 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 [5]. On their return they finished as ASL runners-up in both the Spring 1930 and Fall 1930 seasons. However the Great Depression severely effected the teams support and they failed to complete the Spring 1931 season. On April 19, 1931 they merged into Fall River F.C..[6].
New Bedford Whalers III
The third Whalers were actually a successor club of Fall River Marksmen. Like the second Whalers, the Marksmen had also suffered because of the Great Depression and for the Spring 1931 season their owner, Sam Mark, relocated them to New York where they merged with New York Soccer Club, previously known as the New York Giants, and became the New York Yankees. However the relocation to New York was not a financial success and for the Fall 1931 season, Mark relocated his team once again. This time they merged with Fall River F.C. 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 [3][7][8]
Year-by-year
Year Division League Reg. Season Playoffs National Challenge Cup 1914-15 N/A SNESL Champion No playoff Last 16 1915-16 N/A SNESL ? No playoff Quarter finals 1916-17 N/A SNESL Champion No playoff Last 32 1917-18 N/A SNESL ? No playoff First round 1924-25 1 ASL 5th No playoff Did not enter 1925-26 1 ASL 2nd No playoff Second round 1926 N/A ISL 3rd No playoff N/A 1926-27 1 ASL 4th No playoff' Quarterfinals 1927-28 1 ASL 3rd (1st half); 1st (2nd half) Final First round 1928-29 N/A ASL 5th (1st half); 8th (2nd half) N/A N/A 1928-29 1 ESL 6th No playoff N/A Spring 1930 1 ACL/ASL 2nd No playoff Second round Fall 1930 1 ASL 2nd No playoff ? Spring 1931 1 ASL 8th N/A First round Fall 1931 1 ASL Champion Final N/A Spring 1932 1 ASL Champion No playoff Winners Fall 1932 1 ASL 8th No playoff N/A Former players
New Bedford Whalers I
New Bedford Whalers II
New Bedford Whalers III
see also Category:New Bedford Whalers players
Former Managers
Harold Brittan: 1926
Honors
New Bedford Whalers I
- Southern New England Soccer League
- 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 Fall 1931 , Spring 1932 : 2
- National Challenge Cup
- Winners 1932: 1
References
- ^ Southern New England Soccer League
- ^ American Soccer - 1925
- ^ a b Soccer in a Football World - The Story of America’s Forgotten Game (2006) : David Wangerin [1]
- ^ American Soccer - 1926
- ^ American Soccer - 1929
- ^ American Soccer - 1931
- ^ American Soccer - 1932
- ^ American Soccer - 1933
Categories:- Defunct soccer clubs in the United States
- American Soccer League (1921–1933) teams
- Fall River Marksmen
- New York Giants (soccer)
- Southern New England Soccer League teams
- Massachusetts soccer clubs
- Eastern Professional Soccer League (1928–1929) teams
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