London German Canadians

Last updated
London German Canadians FC logo.png
Full nameLondon German Canadians
Founded1935
Stadium Cove Road Stadium
London, Ontario
LeagueWestern Ontario Soccer League

London German Canadians is a Canadian soccer club based in London, Ontario. The club was formed in 1935 and originally competed in the London and District Soccer League. After a successful decade at the amateur level throughout the 1960s, the club joined the National Soccer League (NSL) in 1969. [1] London played in the NSL for four seasons from 1969 until the 1972 season. In 1973, the club departed from the NSL with London City acquiring their NSL rights.

Contents

Since their departure from the NSL they returned to the London and District Soccer League, and later played in the Western Ontario Soccer League. The club's home venue is located at Cove Road Stadium.

History

London German Canadians were formed in 1935 with Rudi Haehnel and Otto Meyer as the primary driving forces behind the project. [2] Both men were members of the German Canadian Club a social club for the German Canadian community in London, Ontario. [2] The club competed in the London and District Soccer League as a founding member, and their original home venue was located at C.N.R.A. Park. [2] [3] In 1952, their parent company the German Canadian Club constructed a soccer stadium known as the Cove Road Stadium for their soccer program. The club went through an internal dispute in 1956 which caused a schism within the organization with several members departing to join St. Thomas German Canadian Club. [2]

London experienced a successful decade in the 1960s as the club added multiple silverware to their trophy cabinet. [4] The club secured the First Division Championship initially in 1961, and successfully defended the title consecutively between 1962, and 1963. [5] The German Canadians would also add to their resume five consecutive International Cups, and the City League Cup twice in 1962, and 1965. [6] [7] In 1969, the club transitioned into the professional ranks by joining the National Soccer League and retaining a reserve team in the London and District Soccer League. [8] [9]

In preparation for their professional debut the organization assigned the general manager title to club vice president Markus Gauss. [10] Julius Kaponya was named the head coach, and primarily recruited players from the local soccer circuits. [11] [12] In their debut season in the NSL, the Germans finished in the tenth position. [13] In the following season, the club's player recruitment policy was slightly modified with London retaining several veterans with the addition of imports. [13] The head coach's responsibilities were assigned to Phil Brooman. [13] The club experienced success as they qualified for the postseason by finishing in fifth place.

In the 1971 season, London secured a playoff berth by finishing seventh and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs to Hamilton Croatia. [14] To remain completive with the Toronto-based teams, London began recruiting import players and league veterans and placing less emphasis on local players. [15] Though London failed to secure a playoff berth in the 1972 season, the club managed to attract a respectable attendance record throughout the season with numbers ranging from 500 to 1500. [5] After failing to secure the necessary financial resources to field a competitive team at the professional level London was forced to sell their NSL franchise rights to London City in 1973, an organization founded by former club vice president Markus Gauss. [16] [5]

In 1973, London returned to the London and District Soccer League. [2] The conclusion of the decade saw the German Canadians achieve their best performance at the Ontario Cup wherein in the 1979 tournament they reached the semi-finals but were defeated by Delia SC. [17] [18] London became a charter member of the Western Ontario Soccer League when the London and District Soccer League and Inter-County Soccer Leagues merged in 1988.

Head Coaches

Seasons

SeasonLeagueTeamsRecordRankPlayoffsRef
1969 National Soccer League 148–4–1410th– [13]
1970 1413–6–75th– [20]
1971 1412–2–127thQuarterfinals [21]
1972 1512–5–119th– [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Croatia</span> Canadian soccer team

C.N.S.C. Toronto Croatia is a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, that plays in the Supergroup Open Division in the Canadian Academy of Futbol. The team's colours are red, white and blue, similar to those of the Croatia national football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London City Soccer Club</span> Canadian association football team

London City Soccer Club is a Canadian soccer team founded in 1973. The team is currently a member of the Canadian Academy of Soccer League. The team plays their home games at the Milton Community Sports Park in the town of Milton, Ontario. The team's colours are red, black and white. Formed on Valentine's Day of 1973 by Markus Gauss in order to field a London entry for the National Soccer League after the departure of German Canadian FC. The Gauss family ran and provided the city of London a professional team for 38 years. Under their tutelage the club was most notable for providing an opportunity for young players to develop in a professional environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North York Astros</span> Canadian soccer team

The North York Astros were a Canadian soccer team that was founded in 1990. The team initially played in the National Soccer League. The team played their home games at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York, a district of the city of Toronto, Canada. The team's colours were orange and black. The club was originally named North York Atletico Argentina Soccer Club, and witnessed instant success in its initial stages. After a merger with North York Talons, and a relocation to Scarborough the team was eventually renamed the North York Astros. The Astros were a founding member of the Canadian National Soccer League's successor league the Canadian Professional Soccer League in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Catharines Roma Wolves</span> Canadian soccer team

St. Catharines Roma Wolves, are a Canadian soccer team, founded in 1967. The team currently plays in the semi-professional League1 Ontario in both the men's and women's divisions. The club is a former member of the Canadian Soccer League (CSL), where it fielded a professional team from 1998 to 2013, and now operates youth teams in the Peninsula Soccer League. Teams play out of Club Roma in St. Catharines, Ontario in the Niagara Peninsula. The team's colours are dark red and white, mimicking those of the famous Italian club A.S. Roma.

Carmine Marcantonio is a Canadian retired soccer player who earned two caps for the national team between 1976 and 1980.

Tibor Vigh is a Hungarian-born Canadian former soccer player who earned 4 caps for the Canadian national side in 1968, scoring 2 goals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Gauss</span>

Harry Paul Gauss was a German-born Canadian soccer businessman, head coach, general manager, and soccer player.

The Toronto Jets was a S.S. Pauline Soccer Club team that played in the Minor Division (MD) of the Canadian National Soccer League, formerly the National Soccer League (N.S.L.) between 1977–1979, and perhaps as early as 1976. The 1976 and 1979 teams were the boys under 19 Ontario Cup Champions, and the 1978 team was the N.S.L. - MD Jr. Playoff Champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caswain Mason</span> Vincentian former footballer (born 1978)

Caswain Mason is a Vincentian former footballer who played as a midfielder.

Anders Yrfeldt is a Danish former footballer and football manager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Marconi</span> Canadian association football team

London Marconi Soccer Club is a Canadian soccer club based in London, Ontario, that plays in the Western Ontario Soccer League. The club was founded in 1962 and originally competed in the London and District League. After several notable achievements at the amateur level, the organization joined the National Soccer League (NSL) in 1984. After competing in the NSL for five seasons they returned to the amateur level by joining the Western Ontario Soccer League.

Detroit Besa is an American soccer club based in Hamtramck, Michigan, an enclave of Detroit. The club was founded in 1974 and originally competed in the Second Division of the Detroit Soccer League (DSL). In 1979, the club made the transition to the professional level by becoming the fourth American franchise to compete in Canada's National Soccer League (NSL). After competing in the NSL for three seasons they returned to the amateur level by rejoining the Detroit Soccer League.

Sudbury Cyclones was a soccer club based in Sudbury, Ontario. The club was formed in 1976 and originally competed in the Second Division of the National Soccer League (NSL). Sudbury played in the National Soccer League for five seasons from 1976 until the 1980 season. The club became the last representative from Northern Ontario to compete in the National Soccer League.

The 1973 National Soccer League season was the fiftieth season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began in May and concluded in late October with Toronto Hungaria defeating Toronto Croatia for the NSL Championship. Toronto Hungaria repeated their success by defeating Croatia for the NSL Cup, which marked the organization's first league double. Although Toronto Croatia was defeated in the postseason, they still managed to secure the regular-season title and qualified for the Canadian Open Cup. In the Canadian Open Cup final Toronto successfully defended the title for the third consecutive season by defeating Challenge Trophy finalists Toronto West Indies United.

The 1972 National Soccer League season was the forty-ninth season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began in late April and concluded in October with the Canadian Open Cup final. Toronto Croatia successfully defended its regular-season title for the third consecutive season with an undefeated regular season streak. Toronto would also defeat the Serbian White Eagles for the NSL Cup. The Croatians would secure a treble by winning the Open Canada Cup against Vancouver Columbus. In the playoffs, Toronto Italia defeated the Serbian White Eagles for the NSL Championship.

The 1971 National Soccer League season was the forty-eighth season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began in early May and concluded in October with the Canadian Open Cup final where Toronto Croatia defeated Challenge Trophy champions Vancouver Eintracht. The Croatians would secure a treble by successfully defending their regular-season title, and defeating Toronto First Portuguese for the NSL Championship. The NSL Cup was successfully defended by Toronto First Portuguese who defeated Sudbury City.

The 1970 National Soccer League season was the forty-seventh season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began in late April and concluded in early November with the NSL Championship final. The regular-season title was clinched by Toronto Croatia by finishing first throughout the regular season. In the playoffs, the championship title was won by Hamilton Croatia after defeating Toronto Croatia. The NSL Cup was secured by Toronto First Portuguese after defeating Toronto Hellas.

St. Catharines Heidelberg was a Canadian soccer club based in St. Catharines, Ontario. The club was founded in 1960 and originally competed in the International Soccer League. In 1971, the club joined the professional ranks in the National Soccer League (NSL) and played in the league for eight seasons from 1971 until the 1978 season. In 1979, Heidelberg departed from the NSL which left St. Catharines Roma as the sole representative for the city of St. Catharines in the National Soccer League.

Welland Lions Croatia was a soccer club based in Welland, Ontario. The club was founded in 1970 and originally played in Hamilton, Ontario as Hamilton Apollos. It was later renamed Hamilton City in 1973 and ultimately relocated to Welland in 1976. The club played in the National Soccer League (NSL) for seven seasons from 1970 until 1976. In 1977, St. Catharines Roma replaced Welland in the NSL by acquiring their franchise rights.

The 1969 National Soccer League season was the forty-sixth season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began on May 4, 1969, with Toronto Italia facing Toronto Hellas at Stanley Park Stadium where the match drew 6000 supporters. The match signaled an increase in attendance as the previous time the NSL drew a similar amount was three seasons ago. The championship was contested throughout the regular season as the league canceled the playoff format. Toronto First Portuguese would claim the NSL Championship by finishing first in the standings in October. The NSL Cup was won by Toronto Italia after defeating Toronto Hungaria.

References

  1. ↑ Kernaghan, Jim (May 2, 1969). "Veteran soccer league gets big chance". Toronto Daily Star . p. 23.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "London Ontario Competitive Soccer History". www.gcfclondon.com. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  3. ↑ "Three Soccer Tilts Saturday". London Free Press . May 23, 1935.
  4. ↑ Beckbach, Bruce (January 13, 1969). "German eleven seeks NSL entry". London Free Press . p. 13.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "75th Anniversary Yearbook" (PDF). gcfclondon.com. pp. 39, 40, 56.
  6. ↑ Meckbach, Bruce. "Overtime goals give German cup". London Free Press .
  7. ↑ "Western Ontario Soccer League: Cup Winners". wosl.e2esoccer.com. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
  8. ↑ Waring, Ed (May 6, 1969). "Four more teams join soccer oop". The Globe and Mail . p. 29.
  9. ↑ Meckbach, Bruce. "German Canadians accepted into membership of NSL". London Free Press .
  10. ↑ "Gauss named manager of German Canadians". London Free Press . January 1, 1969.
  11. ↑ Meckbach, Bruce (March 13, 1969). "German Canadians sign nine from L&D ranks". London Free Press .
  12. ↑ Meckbach, Bruce (May 20, 1969). "Germans down Dusseldorf 5-0". London Free Press .
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Meckbach, Bruce (April 18, 1970). "Germans back, better prepared". London Free Press .
  14. ↑ "Soccer scores - National League playoffs". Toronto Daily Star . October 4, 1971. p. 15.
  15. ↑ Meckbach, Bruce (May 2, 1972). "Only 4 players signed from original Germans". London Free Press .
  16. ↑ "Indoor loop ignores NSL player ban". The Globe and Mail . February 5, 1973. p. S5.
  17. ↑ "HISTORY IN THE MAKING". The Globe and Mail . September 15, 1979. p. S15.
  18. ↑ Eaman, Bob. "Late collapse costly to German-Canadians". London Free Press .
  19. ↑ Eaman, Bob. "Scottish, Selects to attack". London Free Press .
  20. ↑ "Canadian National Soccer League 1970 Season Summary | SoccerStats.us". soccerstats.us. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  21. ↑ "Canadian National Soccer League 1971 Season Summary | SoccerStats.us". soccerstats.us. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  22. ↑ "Canadian National Soccer League 1972 Season Summary | SoccerStats.us". soccerstats.us. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.