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New England Tea Men

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This article is about the New England Tea Men of the NASL. For the team that later played in theNPSL,seeBoston Tea Men.

New England Tea Men
logo
Full nameNew England Tea Men
Founded1978
Dissolved1980
StadiumSchaefer Stadium,Foxborough, Massachusetts
Nickerson Field,Boston, Massachusetts
Providence Civic Center(indoor)Providence, Rhode Island
Capacity60,000
11,940(indoor)
CoachNoel Cantwell
LeagueNASL

TheNew England Tea Menwere an American professionalsoccerteam based in theGreater Bostonmetropolitan area. They played in theNorth American Soccer League(NASL) from 1978 to 1980. Their home venues for outdoor play wereSchaefer Stadium(shared with the NFL'sNew England Patriots) inFoxborough, Massachusetts,andNickerson FieldnearBoston University.They also played one season ofindoor soccerin the NASL, using theProvidence Civic Centerfor home games.

The Tea Men were originally owned byUnilever'sLiptonsubsidiary and given their unusual name as a nod to both the company's product line and theBoston Tea Party.

The Tea Men won their division in 1978 and made a further playoff run in 1980. However, the team struggled for financial solvency in Massachusetts. Right at the start of the1980–81 indoor season[1]they relocated toJacksonville, Floridaand became theJacksonville Tea Men.[2]

History

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Led in its initial season by formerCharlton Athletic F.C.strikerMike Flanagan,the Tea Men won their division to much public acclaim, with Flanagan winning the league MVP award.

Subsequent seasons proved not as successful for two important reasons. First, Flanagan, contracted to Charlton, remained in England (an attempt to secure him via a transfer failed, reportedly over endorsement rights). Second, the team was temporarily evicted fromSchaefer StadiuminFoxborough, Massachusettswhen the owners ofFoxboro Raceway– located next door – claimed that the Tea Men's matches were causing traffic problems on racing dates.

After spending one unhappy season atNickerson Fieldon the campus ofBoston University,the team reached an accord withFoxboro Racewayto play in Foxboro, but not on racing dates. As a result, the Tea Men had to play many Monday night matches, which caused attendance to dwindle. At one home game during the 1980 season, only 254 fan attended a game, an all time low for the NASL.[3]

After leaving New England, the team moved toJacksonville, Floridaand became theJacksonville Tea Men.

Year-by-year

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Year League W L Pts Reg. season Playoffs Avg. attendance
1978 NASL 19 11 165 1st(t), American Conference, Eastern Division Lost 1st Round (Ft. Lauderdale) 12,064
1979 NASL 12 18 110 4th, American Conference, Eastern Division did not qualify 6,562
1979–80 NASL Indoor 2 10 — 5th, Eastern Division did not qualify 3,249
1980 NASL 18 14 154 3rd, American Conference, Eastern Division Lost 1st Round (Tampa Bay) 8,748

Honors

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Staff

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  • United StatesDerek Carroll – President
  • United StatesBill Alex – Play-by-Play Announcer
  • Steve Glendye – Color Commentator on Northeast Sports Network

Coaches

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See also

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References

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  1. ^"The Day – Google News Archive Search".
  2. ^Bart Hubbuch (June 25, 2006)."Remember the Tea Men? A pro kickoff".The Florida Times-Union.Archived fromthe originalon June 3, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 14,2011.
  3. ^"Tea Men move reported".Democrat and Chronicle.November 18, 1980. p. 5D.RetrievedJune 13,2022.
  4. ^"US Soccer Hall of Fame Membership".Archived fromthe originalon September 23, 2017.RetrievedOctober 24,2013.
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