Bethlehem Steel F.C.

Bethlehem Steel Football Club (1911-1930) was one of the most successful early American soccer clubs. Known as the Bethlehem Football Club from 1911 until 1915 when it became the Bethlehem Steel Football Club, the team was sponsored by the Bethlehem Steel corporation and played their home games first at East End Field in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley.

History

The first soccer ball came to Bethlehem in 1904, according to a June 2, 1925, article in the Bethlehem Globe. The sport took hold of the town and local steel workers formed a recreational team. On November 17, 1907, the Bethlehem Football Club played its first official match, an 11-2 loss to West Hudson A.A., at the time one of the top professional teams in the country. In 1913 the steel company created Bethlehem Steel Athletic Field, the country's first soccer field with stadium-seating. In 1914 Charles Schwab, owner of the Steel Company, took the team professional, using his wealth to induce several top players to move to Bethlehem Steel and changing the team name to the Bethlehem Steel Football Club. Bethlehem Steel was not...
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