Peter Bridgwater

Peter Bridgwater (7th March 1935 - 21 June 2005) was the first president of the San Jose Clash. Prior to arriving in the Bay Area, Bridgwater was an executive of the Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL) franchise. He had been involved with professional soccer in San Jose since 1984, when he was named general manager of the original San Jose Earthquakes of the North American Soccer League. Bridgwater later bought the Earthquakes franchise, and then after the NASL ceased operations in 1985, he founded the Western Soccer League, forerunner to the American Professional Soccer League—later known as the A-League and now the USL First Division. Bridgwater was also venue director for World Cup 1994 at Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, California. The success of World Cup '94 sparked the formation of the MLS and The San Jose Clash. Since 1984 Bridgwater did more to keep soccer alive in San Jose, California than any other person.