Bethlehem Steel F.C.

Bethlehem Steel F.C. (1911-1930) was one of the most successful early American soccer clubs. Named for the Bethlehem Steel corporation, the club played their home games first at East End Field in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley.

History

The first soccer ball came to Bethlehem in 1904, according to a June 2, 1925, article in the "Bethlehem Globe". The sport took hold of the town and local steel workers formed a recreational team. [ [http://www.geocities.com/bethlehem_soccer/gl060225.html June 2, 1925. "The Globe"] ] On November 17, 1907, the factory team played its first official match, an 11-2 loss to West Hudson A.A., at the time one of the top professional teams in the country. [ [http://www.soccerhall.org/Monthly%20Column/2007/sep2007_bethsteel.html Bethlehem Steel's 100th Anniversary] ] In 1914 Charles Schwab, owner of the Steel Company, took the team professional, using his wealth to induce several top players to move to Bethlehem Steel. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9804E2D9133DE333A25751C0A96E9C946596D6CF August 2, 1914 "New York Times"] ] Schwab would eventually begin importing players from Scotland and England. From 1911 to 1915, the club was a member of the amateur Allied American Foot Ball Association before moving to the American Soccer League of Philadelphia, another amateur league, for the 1915-1916 season. [ [http://www.geocities.com/bethlehem_soccer/gl051516.html May 15, 1916 "The Globe"] ] Bethlehem Steel was not associated with a league from 1916 to 1917, playing only exhibition or cup games. [ [http://www.geocities.com/bethlehem_soccer/gl020717.html February 7, 1917 "The Globe"] ] In 1917, it joined the professional National Association Foot Ball League. In 1921, several teams from the NAFBL and other regional leagues joined together to form the American Soccer League. Although one of the strongest teams of the time, the owners decided to disband the club, moving the players and management to Philadelphia where it competed as the Philadelphia Field Club. Although Philadelphia won the first ASL championship, the team was in financial trouble and lacked fan support. The ownership moved it back to Bethlehem the next year taking back their old name. In 1925, Bethlehem, and the rest of the ASL, boycotted the National Challenge Cup. While this created some animosity with the United States Football Association, no serious ramification resulted. However, in 1928, the ASL again boycotted the Challenge Cup. When Bethlehem Steel chose to ignore the boycott, the league expelled them. Under the leadership of the USFA, Bethlehem Steel and two other expelled teams joined with teams from the Southern New York State Soccer Association to create the Eastern Soccer League. These actions, part of the 1928-1929 "Soccer Wars", along with the Great Depression, financially devastated the ASL, ESL and Bethlehem Steel. While Bethlehem Steel rejoined the ASL in 1929, the damage was done and the team folded after the spring 1930 season.

Year-by-year

Honors

* League Champion:* Winner (8): 1913, 1914, 1915, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1927, 1929:* Runner Up (5): 1916, 1918, 1923, 1924, 1925

* National Challenge Cup:* Winner (5): 1915, 1916, 1918, 1919, 1926:* Runner Up (1): 1917

* American Cup:* Winner (6): 1914, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1924:* Runner Up (1): 1920

* Lewis Cup:* Winner (1): 1928

* Allied Amateur Cup:* Winner (1): 1914:* Runner Up (1): 1912

Coaches

*Harry Trend: 1909
*Carpenter: 1913
*William Sheridan: -1924
*Jimmy Easton: 1924-
*William Sheridan: 1930

Notable players

* Tommy Fleming
* Findlay Kerr
* Alex Massie
* Robert Millar
* Harry Ratican
* Archie Stark

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/bethlehem_soccer/ History of Bethlehem Steel] by Dan Morrison.

References