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American League of Professional Football

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American League of
Professional Football
Founded1894
Folded1894; 130 years ago (1894)
CountryUnited States
Number of clubs6
Level on pyramid1
Promotion toNone
Relegation toNone
Last championsBrooklyn Bridegrooms
(1894)

American League of Professional Football was the first professional soccer league in the United States, existing for one season in 1894. It was also one of the earliest professional leagues in the world. It was created by the owners of the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, partly to fill their dormant stadiums in the winter months and partly for publicity reasons to keep their baseball seasons visible to the public during the off-season.[1]

History

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Philadelphia Phillies manager Arthur Irwin organized and served as manager of the league.[2]

The 1894 schedule included six teams sponsored by National League teams[3] that played a total of 23 games.

The league's inaugural game was played at Philadelphia Ball Park on October 6, 1894. 500 fans saw New York defeat Philadelphia 5 to 0.[4]

Although the club owners encouraged attendance by setting ticket prices low, typically 25 cents, the turn out was light, averaging about 500 spectators. By comparison, average crowds in the National League that year ranged from as much as about 6,000 to as few as about 600.[5] Baltimore Orioles F.C. regularly attracted crowds as large as 12,000, but only had a crowd of 500 in their last game. However, other club owners accused Baltimore of illegally employing British players,[3] and U.S. immigration officials soon began to investigate the allegations.[6]

Demise of the ALPF, as covered on The Sporting Life, October 27, 1894

At the same time, with rumors circulating that a new baseball league was being formed, the club owners became convinced that the soccer league was a distraction from the serious business of possible competition from a new, rival league.[3] This was combined with a move by the American Football Association to ban players from the ALPF from playing in the AFA. This came as the AFA saw the ALPF encroaching on its territory.[7] The combination of these new competitive pressures and the ongoing immigration investigation scuppered the planned 1895 season and the League itself.

League standings

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Place Team GP W L T GF GA Points
1 Brooklyn Bridegrooms 6 5 1 0 20 6 10
2 Baltimore Orioles 4 4 0 0 24 3 8
3 Boston Beaneaters 5 4 1 0 15 12 8
4 New York Giants 6 2 4 0 16 13 4
5 Philadelphia Phillies 9 2 7 0 15 37 4
6 Washington Senators 6 1 5 0 7 26 2

Source:[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wangerin, David (2008). Soccer in a football world : the story of America's forgotten game. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. p. 31. ISBN 9781592138852.
  2. ^ "Comment About Athletic Sport". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. October 27, 1894. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c Wangerin 2008, p. 32.
  4. ^ "New York Takes One: Inaugural Game of American Football League". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. October 7, 1894. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Baseball Reference – 1894". Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  6. ^ Holroyd, Steve (September 4, 2000). "The first professional soccer league in the United States: The American League of Professional Football (1894)". USSoccerHistory.org. Society of American Soccer History. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  7. ^ "League Players Barred" (PDF). New York Times. September 18, 1894. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  8. ^ rsssf.org
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