1981 National Soccer League (Canada) season

The 1981 National Soccer League season was the fifty-eighth season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began in May, 1981 and concluded in October 1981 with the NSL Championship final where Hamilton Steelers defeated Toronto Italia in a two-legged series final.[2][3] Hamilton would achieve a treble by also securing the regular-season title, and defeating Toronto Ukrainians for the NSL Cup.[4]

National Soccer League
Season1981
Champions
League cupHamilton Steelers
Top goalscorerRennie Phillips (18)[1]
← 1980
1982 →

Overview

News of a potential Canadian national soccer league was confirmed when the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) officially sanctioned a proposal from a group known as Sports Professionals International Inc.[5][6][7] Meanwhile, on the National Soccer League (NSL) front the office of the league commissioner was established with league secretary Job Jones serving as the inaugural officeholder.[8] A Canadianization policy was adopted by the league owners in an attempt to limit the ethnically associated clubs.[8] The membership in the league remained identical to the previous season with the Serbian White Eagles, and Sudbury Cyclones departing.[8] The league retained its American representative with Detroit Besa returning and replacing the Buffalo Blazers.[9][8]

The Hamilton Italo-Canadians returned under the name Hamilton Steelers.[1] Toronto Italia participated in the Toronto International Soccer Tournament against Barcelona S.C., S.L. Benfica, and Leeds United F.C.[10]

Teams
Team City Stadium Manager
Bradford Marshlanders Bradford, Ontario
Detroit Besa Detroit, Michigan Keyworth Stadium Nino Berisic[9]
Hamilton Steelers Hamilton, Ontario Brian Timmis Stadium Carlo Del Monte[11]
London City London, Ontario Cove Road Stadium
St. Catharines Roma St. Catharines, Ontario Club Roma Stadium
Toronto Croatia Etobicoke, Ontario Centennial Park Stadium
Toronto Falcons Toronto, Ontario Lamport Stadium
Toronto First Portuguese Toronto, Ontario Lamport Stadium Bernardo da Velha[12]
Toronto Italia Etobicoke, Ontario Centennial Park Stadium[13] Fiorigi Pagliuso[14]
Toronto Panhellenic Toronto, Ontario Lamport Stadium Germán Sánchez[15]
Toronto Ukrainians Etobicoke, Ontario Centennial Park Stadium

Coaching changes
Team Outgoing coach Manner of
departure		 Date of
vacancy		 Position in table Incoming coach Date of
appointment
Toronto First Portuguese Ralph Pisani[12] replaced July 18, 1981 10th in July Portugal Bernardo da Velha July 18, 1981

Final standings
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Hamilton Steelers (C, O) 20 16 1 3 55 14 +41 33 Qualification for Playoffs
2 Toronto Panhellenic 20 12 3 5 38 21 +17 27
3 Toronto Italia 20 11 5 4 43 25 +18 27
4 Toronto Falcons 20 7 10 3 32 28 +4 24
5 Toronto Croatia 20 8 7 5 30 22 +8 23
6 St. Catharines Roma 20 8 6 6 30 27 +3 22
7 London City 20 4 8 8 25 28 −3 16
8 Detroit Besa 20 7 2 11 25 39 −14 16
9 Toronto First Portuguese 20 4 7 9 22 28 −6 15
10 Bradford Marshlanders 20 1 7 12 20 49 −29 9
11 Toronto Ukrainians 20 2 4 14 15 30 −15 8
Updated to match(es) played on September 30, 1981. Source: [4]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners

References
  1. "1981 Hamilton Steelers - Hamilton Soccer Hall of Fame". hshof.ca. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  2. Jose, Colin (2001). On-Side - 125 Years of Soccer in Ontario. Vaughan, Ontario: Ontario Soccer Association and Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. p. 117.
  3. "CSL Past Champions – Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Archived from the original on 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  4. "1981 NSL Season" (PDF). canadiansoccerleague.ca. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-06-28.
  5. "New league for soccer sanctioned". The Globe and Mail. December 10, 1981. p. S6.
  6. "Soccer group wants details from proposed new league". The Globe and Mail. December 4, 1981. p. S5.
  7. Huntley, E.J. 73 Days - The Story of the Canadian Professional Soccer League 1983.
  8. Labow, Jeffrey (May 6, 1981). "Canadian flavor for new look NSL". The Globe and Mail. p. S4.
  9. Pepper, Jon (August 6, 1981). "They play soccer for honor". Newspapers.com. Detroit Free Press. p. 41. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  10. Labow, Jeffrey (August 13, 1981). "Toronto soccer takes on international flair". The Globe and Mail. p. 55.
  11. McGee, William (October 25, 1982). "New-look Steelers take soccer crown". The Globe and Mail. p. S8.
  12. "Cosmos reinstate star Neeskens". The Globe and Mail. July 18, 1981. p. S8.
  13. Welner, Chris (September 1, 1981). "Soccer rivalry declines but fans still love game". Toronto Star. p. G15.
  14. "2018 Wall of Fame Induction". torontoazzurri.com. p. 17. Archived from the original on 2022-01-02. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  15. Koep, Bob (July 27, 1981). "Olympics prove Toronto has top soccer talent". Toronto Star. p. B4.
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