![]() Galt F.C. in 1904 | |
Full name | Galt Football Club |
---|---|
Founded | 1881 or 1882 |
Dissolved | 1910 |
League | Ontario Football Association |
Olympic medal record | ||
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Men's soccer | ||
![]() | 1904 St. Louis | Team |
Galt Football Club was a soccer club based in Galt, Ontario, current day Cambridge, Ontario. It was formed in either 1881 or 1882. Galt won the 1901, 1902, and 1903 Ontario Cups, and most notably the 1904 Olympic soccer tournament.
Galt was historically one of the greatest soccer clubs in Canada. Their first major honour came in the form of the 1901 Ontario Cup and they repeated this success as champions in the next two seasons. In 1903, Galt went on a tour of Manitoba. In a span of 25 days, which included 17 games, Galt won 16 and tied 1. On that tour, they scored 46 goals and conceded 2.
Galt's most notable triumph came in 1904 at the Olympics in St. Louis, where they represented Canada. They had to face two American sides. Winning convincingly, 7–0 and 4–0, Galt took home gold for Canada.
In 1905, Galt played a touring English team called The Pilgrims. The game was dubbed "The Championship of the World", considering Galt were reigning Olympic champions. [1] The game drew much attention in Canada and the Northern United States. [2] At Dickson Park, in front of 3,500 fans, Galt tied the English team 3–3.
In 2004, on the centennial anniversary of the gold medal, the 1904 Galt team were inducted to the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame. [3] [4]
Galt F.C. was featured in the Murdoch Mysteries episode "Bend It Like Brackenreid." [5] Brackenreid returned with the gold medal in episode "Excitable Chap". [6]
Domestic
International
Men's association football (soccer) was contested at the 1904 Summer Olympics. A total of three club teams competed, two representing the United States, both from host city St. Louis, and one representing Canada, from Galt, Ontario. Originally, two other Canadian teams had also been entered in the competition, Berlin Rangers and the University of Toronto, but both withdrew before the draw.
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The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions since 1924. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association, the governing body for soccer in Canada. They have been a member of FIFA since 1948 and of CONCACAF since 1961.
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Montreal Amateur Athletic Association is Canada's oldest athletic association, located in Montreal, Quebec. It was renamed as the Club Sportif MAA or just MAA in 1999 after a brush with bankruptcy, but is still widely known as the MAAA. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the MAA was one of the most important sporting institutions in Canada, and North America, with affiliated teams winning ice hockey's Stanley Cup and Canadian football's Grey Cup.
Canada competed at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, United States. These Games were the second at which Canadian athletes participated. As in 1900 they did not compete under the Canadian flag, national teams not being introduced until the next Olympics. Unofficially, however, it was a very successful Olympics for Canada with Canadian competitors winning the fourth most medals. However, this was largely because most Europeans decided not to make the long trip to compete in the games. The Canadian athletes were a unified group for the first time and were unofficially regarded as a team.
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Christian Brothers College High School is a Lasallian Catholic college preparatory school for young men in Town and Country, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. It is located in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis and is owned and operated by the De La Salle Christian Brothers Midwest District and is the second oldest Lasallian school in the United States.
Francisco Bru Sanz, also known as Paco Bru, was a Spanish football player, referee and manager. As a footballer he played as a striker and midfielder for FC Internacional and as a defender for FC Barcelona, RCD Español and the Catalan XI. After retiring as a player, Bru became a referee and took charge of the 1916 and 1917 Copa del Rey finals. He later became the first ever manager of Spain, guiding them to the silver medal at the 1920 Olympic Games. As a manager with Real Madrid, then known as Madrid CF, he won the Copa de España twice during the 1930s.
Ernest Payne was an English track cycling racer. Born in Worcester, he won a gold medal in the team pursuit at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London for Great Britain and went on to play football, including two games as an amateur for Manchester United.
Alexander Bennett was a Scottish footballer who played for Celtic, Rangers and the Scotland national team.
George Ducker was a Canadian amateur soccer player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. Ducker was born in Ontario, Canada. In 1904 he was member of the Galt F.C. team, which won the gold medal in the soccer tournament. He played all two matches as a defender.
Thomas Sylvester Taylor was a Canadian amateur soccer player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics as a member of a Canadian team made-up of Galt F.C. players. In St. Louis he was the soccer tournament's joint top scorer with three goals as his side won the gold medal.
William Twaits was a Canadian amateur soccer player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. Twaits was born in Galt, Ontario. In 1904 he was a member of the Galt F.C. team, which won the gold medal in the soccer tournament. He played all two matches as a forward.
Alexander Noble Hall, sometimes known as Sandy Hall, was a professional soccer player who played as a centre forward in the Scottish League for Dunfermline Athletic, Dundee, Motherwell and St Bernard's. Born in Scotland, he was a part of Canada's gold medal-winning 1904 Olympic team and finished the tournament as joint-top scorer, with three goals. The goals came in the form of a hat-trick in a 7–0 win over the United States, represented by Christian Brothers College.
Diana Beverly Matheson is a Canadian former professional soccer player who played for the Canada national team from 2003 to 2020 and multiple professional women's teams over the course of her career. She is best known for scoring the bronze medal-winning goal for Canada in the 92nd minute against France at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games with the senior national team.
Deanne Cynthia Rose is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Leicester City and the Canada national team.
Vanessa Brigitte Gilles is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a centre-back for Division 1 Féminine club Lyon, on loan from National Women's Soccer League team Angel City FC, and the Canada national team.
The Western Football Association (WFA) was a governing body for soccer in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is often viewed as a precursor organization to the current Canadian Soccer Association. The organization was responsible for facilitating club play in Southern Ontario, and would also send teams to compete internationally, such as Galt F.C.'s participation at the 1904 Summer Olympics.