The Nova Scotia Clippers were a professional soccer team based in the original Canadian Soccer League . They were based in Halifax, Nova Scotia , but played their matches in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia at Beazley Field. They played only a single season in 1991.
29-730: In 1989, an expansion franchise for the Canadian Soccer League was awarded to the Nova Scotia Professional Soccer Society, which would debut two years later in 1991. They were the first professional soccer team in the Halifax area. The club played their home matches at Beazley Field in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia , after the city of Halifax was not interested in hosting the team at Wanderers Grounds . Dartmouth spent $ 25,000 in improvements to
58-783: A fully professional Canadian-only league, the Canadian Professional Soccer League was formed, but it failed to last a full season before disbanding. Following the folding of the NASL, the Canadian Soccer Association created the Canadian Soccer League (CSL). It was the CSA's second attempt at a national professional league, following the failed CPSL in 1983. The CSL was formed in the aftermath of Canada 's participation in
87-465: A leap in credibility when an agreement was reached with TSN to broadcast a CSL Game of the Week , allowing a nationwide audience to view a game on domestic cable TV each Sunday evening. Broadcasts featured play-by-play commentator Vic Rauter and analyst Graham Leggat . The league received sponsorship from companies such as Gatorade , Gillette , Chrysler , Molson , and Umbro , among others. Also
116-509: A low of 6 clubs. Some clubs involved in the league, such as the Vancouver 86ers and Toronto Blizzard , existed prior to the formation of the CSL and would go on to play in other leagues after the CSL's demise in following the 1992 season. Clubs participating in the CSL throughout its six years of existence included: Twenty-six players from the Canadian Soccer League have since been inducted in
145-508: A new Canadian professional league, the Canadian Premier League was launched, serving as the country's first national professional league since the end of the CSL. The Canadian Soccer League showcased 13 teams throughout its six-year history, debuting in 1987 with 8 clubs. The league reached its peak of club participation and national exposure in the 1990 season with 11 clubs, while closing out its final season in 1992 with
174-481: Is to "bring our players home." In its first season the league had 138 Canadian players across its eight teams and most of the players from Canada’s 1986 World Cup squad joined the league. Learning from the CPSL failure, the organizers attempted to lay the foundation more successfully, with several teams coming from existing franchises in the provincial leagues, including a team salary limit of $ 300,000 for players. In
203-458: The 1986 World Cup finals tournament held in Mexico, for which Canada was an oddity as a country whose association was able to qualify a team despite not having a domestic professional league, or even a domestically based professional team with the demise in 1984 of the U.S.-based North American Soccer League . Founding league commissioner Dale Barnes voiced sentiment aptly when he said the league
232-734: The Canada Soccer Hall of Fame . From that group, 11 honoured members made their professional debuts in the Canadian Soccer League. National Capital Pioneers Ottawa Intrepid was a professional soccer team based in Ottawa, Ontario that competed in the original Canadian Soccer League . They were founded as the National Capital Pioneers (also spelled National Capitals Pioneers ) and played in Aylmer, Quebec in 1987, before being re-structured for 1988 as
261-835: The Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League (ECPSL) operated in the country, at times attracting crowds of around 10,000 spectators. From 1968 to 1984, the US-based North American Soccer League (NASL), a top division professional league, contained two Canadian teams at its inception (the Toronto Falcons and Vancouver Royals ), rising to five Canadian teams at the time of its folding - the Calgary Boomers , Edmonton Drillers , Montréal Manic , Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto Blizzard . In 1983,
290-485: The Hamilton Steelers in a 1–1 draw, in a steady drizzle, in front 2,500 spectators. That season they finished with a 7–9–4 record, placing second in the CSL's Eastern Division with 23 points. The Pioneers hosted the 3rd place Toronto Blizzard in the 1987 CSL Eastern Semi-Final and lost a 2–1 decision to the visitors at Aydelu Park. The Pioneers were managed into bankruptcy in their inaugural season, but
319-424: The National Capital Pioneers and the Hamilton Steelers and finished in a 1–1 draw, in a steady drizzle, in front 2,500 spectators. That season, Hamilton won their division both in the regular season and in the playoffs, as did Calgary. The final saw the top point-getting team in the regular season, Calgary, defeat the second-best side, Hamilton, 2–1 at home in a winner take all one game final. The league gained
SECTION 10
#1732798545279348-513: The Nova Scotia Clippers . Financial instability was common with many teams folding during the years. Only four clubs - Vancouver, North York, Toronto, and Winnipeg - participated in all six seasons. In early 1991, league commissioner Dale Barnes retired before the start of the 1991 season, with Hamilton Steelers owner Mario DiBartolomeo becoming the interim league president. The next year, Montreal Supra owner Frank Aliaga being named
377-675: The Division 1 league by the USSF. Vancouver cited financial stability and higher growth prospects with the league expected by some to become the USSF's Division 1 league as required by FIFA when awarded the United States the 1994 World Cup. Even with the Vancouver defection to the United States, the CSL planned to have seven clubs for the 1993 season as of mid-December 1992 including a Burnaby , B.C.-based team; however, opposition from
406-413: The Halifax region was without professional soccer for 27 years, until HFX Wanderers FC joined the new Canadian Premier League . Canadian Soccer League (1987%E2%80%931992) The Canadian Soccer League was a Division 1 professional soccer league that operated for six seasons between 1987 and 1992. It was a nationwide league that had teams in six provinces over the course of its history. It
435-792: The North American Soccer League years. As of 2014, after the 1986 World Cup, players from the CSL cohort have still progressed the furthest in World Cup Qualifying and formed the veteran core of the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup winning squad. Following the demise of the CSL, Canadian professional teams such as the Montreal Impact , Vancouver Whitecaps , and Toronto Lynx continued to play in US-based professional leagues, with later teams such as Toronto FC and Ottawa Fury FC forming as well. In 2019,
464-669: The Ottawa Intrepid and moving to Ottawa. The club was an original member of the original Canadian Soccer League founded in 1987, under the ownership of local businessman Earl Himes. In their inaugural season they were known as the National Capital Pioneers. The Pioneers played their home games in 1987 across the Ottawa river at Aydelu Park in Aylmer, Quebec . With the CSL adopting the playing rules of FIFA in which games must be played on natural grass,
493-625: The Pioneers were forced to play in Alymer since Lansdowne Park , a much larger CFL football stadium in the city of Ottawa, had artificial surface which forced the club to seek a playing surface in Aylmer, QC for the 1987 season. Aylmer offered the club 51% of the park plus concession rights for the ability to have a club in the national league play in the city. The Pioneers hosted the league's inaugural match on June 7, 1987, in Aylmer, Quebec against
522-646: The Vancouver 86ers stymied this ownership's efforts. However, the Toronto Blizzard and Montreal Supra had also planned to join the APSL, although it was not able to meet the financial requirements for the league and instead a new club, Montreal Impact formed and joined the APSL. Meanwhile, Winnipeg and North York joined the Canadian National Soccer League . When the dust cleared, there were not six Canadian professional teams,
551-676: The Vancouver 86ers' owner was the only team to fully pay league dues during the final season and had injected $ 65,000 for the London Lasers to finish the season, and paid playoff travel and accommodation expenses for the Toronto Blizzard. On October 6, 1992, the day of the CSL final, it was announced that Vancouver joined the APSL , a league trying to show the USSF it had the wherewithal, new higher standards for 1993 (financial capitalization, salary budget, $ 1 million operating budget, front office, coaching, market size etc.), to be chosen as
580-531: The club was re-structured and renamed as the Ottawa Intrepid. They moved into Terry Fox Stadium in Ottawa for the 1988 season, which seated approximately 2000 spectators. In 1988, the Intrepid finished the season with an 8–11–9 record, finishing 4th in the CSL Eastern Division, failing to qualify for the playoffs. For the 1989 season, the club brought in national team player Paul James as
609-467: The club's player-coach signed US national team forward Ted Eck who led the league in scoring with 21 goals. The club finished with a 7–11–8 record, once again finishing fourth in the Eastern Division and missing the playoffs. In 1990, Drew Ferguson and Ted Morawski became the team's coaches. The club finished with a 2–15–9 record, finishing in sixth. The club ceased operations following
SECTION 20
#1732798545279638-472: The eight team league. The team advanced to the playoffs, losing in the first round to the North York Rockets . The club averaged around 1,500 fans per game, although many tickets were handed out for free. There were discussions about moving the team's home field to Wanderers Grounds in Halifax for 1992, however the team folded after the 1991 season due to lack of interest. After the team folded,
667-567: The field, in anticipation of the Clippers arrival. Their head coach and general manager was Gordon Hill . They played their first home match on May 26, 1991, against the Vancouver 86ers , in front of a crowd of 1,891 spectators, finishing in a 0–0 draw. In September 1991, the club played two exhibition matches against the Bermuda national team . The club finished their debut season with a record of 7 wins, 7 ties, and 14 losses, finishing sixth in
696-488: The league adopted the standard FIFA points system (2–1–0, then 3–1–0) as well as allowing for draws instead of 'Americanizing' the points system with bonus points and two different categories for both wins and losses unlike the NASL or the APSL which was to follow. Over the course of the league's six seasons, various teams joined the league including Montreal Supra , Victoria Vistas , London Lasers , Kitchener Spirit , and
725-532: The league's inaugural season, eight teams were divided into two divisions. The East Division consisted of National Capital Pioneers , Hamilton Steelers , Toronto Blizzard , and the North York Rockets . The West Division comprised the Calgary Kickers , Edmonton Brick Men , Vancouver 86ers , and the Winnipeg Fury . The league's inaugural match took place on June 7, 1987 in Aylmer, Quebec between
754-422: The minimum for a league, that survived in any form for the 1993 season, and the league officially folded, bringing an end to the first truly national Canadian league to finish a season. This was a major blow for the Canadian Soccer Association and Canadian soccer, as the CSL had been enormously successful in providing Canadian players with a higher level of competition than had been available at any other time than
783-401: The new league president. The Vancouver 86ers became the dominant team in the league, winning the four consecutive league titles from 1988 to 1991. In 1992, the Winnipeg Fury ended Vancouver's run, winning the final MITA Cup, before the league folded. The league and its franchises struggled with financial issues throughout its tenure. After the 1991 season, four franchises folded, which
812-529: Was the last top-division league in Canada until the Canadian Premier League began play in 2019. Professional soccer existed in multiple form in Canada in the decades prior to the formation of the CSL. In 1926, the National Soccer League was formed in Canada, which evolved into the modern edition of the Canadian Soccer League , but was more of a semi-professional nature. From 1960 to 1961,
841-420: Was the start of the end of the league. The financial picture did not improve during the season, and with dysfunction about the most sustainable path for professional soccer, concerns about club stability – declining attendance and red ink continuing to mount in most markets, the resignation of Canadian soccer advocates such as Mario DiBartolomeo, Frank Aliaga, and Karsten von Wersebe. Vancouver media reported that
#278721