Fall River F.C.

Fall River Football Club, also referred to as Fall River Field Club, was the name used by two United States soccer clubs, based in Fall River, Massachusetts. Both played in the American Soccer League during the early 1930s. The name is often used incorrectly to refer to Fall River Marksmen, another soccer team. Although both these teams shared some common history with the Marksmen, they were separate clubs.

Fall River F.C. I

Between 1924 and 1930 the first Fall River F.C. played in the American Soccer League as Providence Clamdiggers and then as Providence Gold Bugs. However in 1931, after Sam Mark, owner of the Fall River Marksmen, relocated his team to New York and renamed them the New York Yankees, he made their former home ground, Mark's Stadium, available to anybody willing to place a team there. A group of Fall River businessmen, led by an ex-Marksmen player Harold Brittan, then bought Providence Gold Bugs, moved them into Mark's Stadium and renamed then Fall River F.C. The new club played for just one season, Spring 1931, eventually finishing fifth. However during their short existence they did win two notable prestige friendlies. On February 22, 1931 they beat Vélez Sársfield 5-2. Then on May 31 with a team that included Joe Kennaway, Bill Paterson and Tom Florie they beat Celtic 1-0. Kennaway subsequently signed for Celtic after impressing them with his performance in goal.

By early 1931 the Great Depression had severely effected the stability of the ASL and...
Read More