The 1981 National Soccer League season was the fifty-eighth season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began in May, 1981 and concluded in October 1981 with the NSL Championship final where Hamilton Steelers defeated Toronto Italia in a two-legged series final.[2][3] Hamilton would achieve a treble by also securing the regular-season title, and defeating Toronto Ukrainians for the NSL Cup.[4]
| Season | 1981 |
|---|---|
| Champions |
|
| League cup | Hamilton Steelers |
| Top goalscorer | Rennie Phillips (18)[1] |
← 1980 1982 → | |
Overview edit
News of a potential Canadian national soccer league was confirmed when the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) officially sanctioned a proposal from a group known as Sports Professionals International Inc.[5][6][7] Meanwhile, on the National Soccer League (NSL) front the office of the league commissioner was established with league secretary Job Jones serving as the inaugural officeholder.[8] A Canadianization policy was adopted by the league owners in an attempt to limit the ethnically associated clubs.[8] The membership in the league remained identical to the previous season with the Serbian White Eagles, and Sudbury Cyclones departing.[8] The league retained its American representative with Detroit Besa returning and replacing the Buffalo Blazers.[9][8]
The Hamilton Italo-Canadians returned under the name Hamilton Steelers.[1] Toronto Italia participated in the Toronto International Soccer Tournament against Barcelona S.C., S.L. Benfica, and Leeds United F.C.[10]
Teams edit
| Team | City | Stadium | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford Marshlanders | Bradford, Ontario | Bradford Community Centre[11] | Tommy Henderson[12] |
| Detroit Besa | Detroit, Michigan | Keyworth Stadium | Nino Berisic[9] |
| Hamilton Steelers | Hamilton, Ontario | Brian Timmis Stadium | Carlo Del Monte[13] |
| London City | London, Ontario | Cove Road Stadium | |
| St. Catharines Roma | St. Catharines, Ontario | Club Roma Stadium | |
| Toronto Croatia | Etobicoke, Ontario | Centennial Park Stadium | |
| Toronto Falcons | Toronto, Ontario | Lamport Stadium | |
| Toronto First Portuguese | Toronto, Ontario | Lamport Stadium | Bernardo da Velha[14] |
| Toronto Italia | Etobicoke, Ontario | Centennial Park Stadium[15] | Fiorigi Pagliuso[16] |
| Toronto Panhellenic | Toronto, Ontario | Lamport Stadium | Germán Sánchez[17] |
| Toronto Ukrainians | Etobicoke, Ontario | Centennial Park Stadium |
Coaching changes edit
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure |
Date of vacancy |
Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford Marshlanders | Dave Reid[18] | replaced | may 20, 1981 | preseason | Tommy Henderson[12] | May 20, 1981 |
| Toronto First Portuguese | Ralph Pisani[14] | replaced | July 18, 1981 | 10th in July |  Bernardo da Velha
|
July 18, 1981 |
  Bradford Detroit Hamilton London St. Catharines  TORONTO
|
 Ukraina Panhellenic Toronto Croatia Falcons First Portuguese Toronto Italia
|
Final standings edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamilton Steelers (C, O) | 20 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 55 | 14 | +41 | 33 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 2 | Toronto Panhellenic | 20 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 38 | 21 | +17 | 27 | |
| 3 | Toronto Italia | 20 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 43 | 25 | +18 | 27 | |
| 4 | Toronto Falcons | 20 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 32 | 28 | +4 | 24 | |
| 5 | Toronto Croatia | 20 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 30 | 22 | +8 | 23 | |
| 6 | St. Catharines Roma | 20 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 30 | 27 | +3 | 22 | |
| 7 | London City | 20 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 25 | 28 | −3 | 16 | |
| 8 | Detroit Besa | 20 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 25 | 39 | −14 | 16 | |
| 9 | Toronto First Portuguese | 20 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 28 | −6 | 15 | |
| 10 | Bradford Marshlanders | 20 | 1 | 7 | 12 | 20 | 49 | −29 | 9 | |
| 11 | Toronto Ukrainians | 20 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 15 | 30 | −15 | 8 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners
References edit
- ^ a b "1981 Hamilton Steelers - Hamilton Soccer Hall of Fame". hshof.ca. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ Jose, Colin (2001). On-Side - 125 Years of Soccer in Ontario. Vaughan, Ontario: Ontario Soccer Association and Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. p. 117.
- ^ "CSL Past Champions – Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Archived from the original on 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
- ^ a b "1981 NSL Season" (PDF). canadiansoccerleague.ca. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-06-28.
- ^ "New league for soccer sanctioned". The Globe and Mail. December 10, 1981. p. S6.
- ^ "Soccer group wants details from proposed new league". The Globe and Mail. December 4, 1981. p. S5.
- ^ Huntley, E.J. 73 Days - The Story of the Canadian Professional Soccer League 1983.
- ^ a b c d Labow, Jeffrey (May 6, 1981). "Canadian flavor for new look NSL". The Globe and Mail. p. S4.
- ^ a b Pepper, Jon (August 6, 1981). "They play soccer for honor". Newspapers.com. Detroit Free Press. p. 41. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
- ^ Labow, Jeffrey (August 13, 1981). "Toronto soccer takes on international flair". The Globe and Mail. p. 55.
- ^ "Soccer fence receives council approval". The Bradford Witness. 25 March 1981. p. 11.
- ^ a b "Tom Henderson back as player, and coach". The Bradford Witness. 20 May 1981. p. 15.
- ^ McGee, William (October 25, 1982). "New-look Steelers take soccer crown". The Globe and Mail. p. S8.
- ^ a b "Cosmos reinstate star Neeskens". The Globe and Mail. July 18, 1981. p. S8.
- ^ Welner, Chris (September 1, 1981). "Soccer rivalry declines but fans still love game". Toronto Star. p. G15.
- ^ "2018 Wall of Fame Induction". torontoazzurri.com. p. 17. Archived from the original on 2022-01-02. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
- ^ Koep, Bob (July 27, 1981). "Olympics prove Toronto has top soccer talent". Toronto Star. p. B4.
- ^ "Marsh coach unhappy". The Bradford Witness. 6 May 1981. p. 9.