Provincial Histories Alberta | British Columbia | Manitoba | Quebec ALBERTA THE EARLY YEARS A booklet celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Caledonia Football and Athletic Club of Calgary contains the following: “On a spring day in April 1904, a band of exiled Scots got together for a “shoot in” on a football pitch in the 500 block on the south side of Fourteenth Avenue. All were in street clothes except Billy Stevenson who was stripped in his Queens Park colours. When another Queens Park man, the late Dr. George Ings, witnessed the proceedings, it didn’t take him long to mix with his fellow countrymen. Then and there the fellows decided to form a football club – its name to be Callies Football Club of Calgary, the colours to be the black and white of Queens Park.” The club was officially organized on April 26, 1904, but soccer had been played in Alberta long before that. The first game the Callies played was a friendly against a team called the “Excelciors, while the first game the club played in the Calgary League took place on May 17th, 1904. Two years later on exactly the same date, May 17, the first attempt to form a provincial governing body for soccer in Alberta happened in Red Deer. The Red Deer News of May 22, 1906 reports as follows. “At the meeting held yesterday in the Alexandra Hall to consider the forming of a Provincial Football League, the following representatives were present. J.A. Fairley, Innisfail; B.F. Kause, Red Deer; W.F. Kennedy, Red Deer; P. Howell, Red Deer, N.R. Walker; Strathcona J.A. Jackson, Ponoka; P.R. Ramsey, Innisfail.” The new Alberta Football league was duly created with J, Fairley installed as president and J.A. Jackson of Ponoka as secretary-treasurer. Surprisingly over one year later on Tuesday June 11, 1907 the Edmonton Journal reported at some length of a provincial association being formed in High River, to be known as the Alberta Provincial Association Football Union. So it would seem that to start with Alberta had two provincial associations, one in the north and one in the south. Two years later on April 19, 1909 the two groups got together and merged to form the first truly province wide governing body. Once again the meeting was held in Red Deer between representatives from the Alberta Amateur Football Association and the Central Alberta Football League as reported in the Edmonton Bulletin on April 20. On May 1, 1909 the same newspaper reported that the new provincial football league “is now an accomplished fact.” J.W. Ward of Edmonton was elected president with J.A. Fairley of Innisfail, Dr. J.A. Ings of Calgary and Mr. Schofield of Pincher Creek as vice-presidents. H. Ballantyne of Calgary was the Secretary-Treasurer. However, before all this transpired the Calgary Caledonians had won the People’s Shield, the unofficial championship in Canada. Playing in the Calgary League composed of teams called Bankers, Hillhurst, Western Canada College, City and Labourers Union, the Callies played 16 games of which 14 were won and 2 drawn. The Callies won the trophy by beating Toronto Thistles and Winnipeg Britannia. The winning team was Jock Ross – Andy Morgan, Donald MacKechnie – Arthur Park, Sandy Strang, James Petrie – Tom Stewart, Cruickshank, Thomson, McLean and Carr. The Callies repeated their feat in 1908 and 1909, thus becoming Canada’s first soccer dynasty. In August of 1907 Mr and Mrs A. Bennett of Calgary presented a Shield to be awarded to the champion team of Alberta. It was first competed for in 1908 and won by, who else, but the Calgary Caledonians. The Callies went on to win it again in 1909, 1910, 1911 and 1912, and then not again until 1923. The Shield continued to be awarded until 1929 when it was replaced by a trophy donated by the Scottish F.A. In 1911, Alberta welcomed its first overseas touring team, the famous Corinthians from England. On August 24, 1911 they met the Edmonton All-Stars at Diamond Park in the provincial capital and won 6-1. The Edmonton team on that day was Ernie Parker (St. George’s), Kinsman (Callies), Moffatt (Swifts) – McCormick (Swifts), Crews (Swifts), Cowan (Callies) – Gathercole (St. George’s), McLuckie (Callies), Tod (Callies), Lloyd (Swifts), and Manton (Swifts). Two days later it was the turn of the Calgary All-Stars to face the tourists. This time the result was much closer with the Corinthians winning 4-3. Playing for Calgary that day on defense were Nicholson (City) – Melville (Hillhurst), Grindley (Callies) – Haig (Callies), Arthur Wakelyn (Hillhurst), Petrie (Callies), The names of the forwards cannot be distinguished in the newspaper. In October of that same year Calgary Hillhurst crossed the Atlantic Ocean to tour England, but the tour was cut short due to injuries to some of the players. The years of the First World War were lean years for soccer in Alberta, as in many other parts of Canada, but the end of the war brought a tour by a team representing the Scottish F.A. The Scots, including many famous names, played in Calgary on June 12 and in Edmonton two days later. Calgary were beaten 5-0 and Edmonton 6-0. In 1924 it was the turn of the Corinthians to tour once again, and for Canada to send a representative team all the way to Australia. Three Alberta players made the three month trip down under, Mitch McLean of the Calgary Caledonians, Bill Linning of Lethbridge Veterans United and Jim Wilson of Edmonton Royals, with McLean playing in all six internationals. When the Corinthians played in Edmonton in1924, the Edmonton forward line contained three players who were to make an impact nationally for years to come. Their names were Dave Turner and the brothers George and James Graham, with George Graham scoring the winning goal when Edmonton beat the Corinthians 1-0. At that time they all played for Edmonton South Side. Turner went on to a great career with Westminster Royals and George Graham with Toronto Ulster United. But Jim Graham remained in Edmonton where he played for Edmonton All-Stars many times he also played hockey for the Gainers Superiors and toured Europe with them in the winter of 1932-33. Later in 1950 he coached Edmonton Waterloo Mercury’s to the World Hockey Championship. In the 20s and 30s, teams in Calgary played for the Black Cup and in Edmonton for the Vets-Martin and Dragoons Cups while all-star teams from Edmonton and Calgary played annually for the Hudsons Bay Trophy. However, the Alberta story is not all Edmonton and Calgary. Alberta had strong teams in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Drumheller. Lethbridge Supinas won the Alberta championship in 1932, 1934 and 1935 while Drumheller Miners toured across Canada in 1932. In addition, some teams from Eastern British Columbia close to the Alberta border were members of the Alberta Football Association and competed for and won the Alberta championship, For example Michel Freebooters from the Crows Nest Pass area won in 1926 and 1927, while Kimberley Tunnell won in 1928. In the national championship Calgary Hillhursts were the only team to win the title in this era, with Hillhursts beating Toronto Ulster United right in Toronto. That team included Andy Wilson, Fred Foster, Bob Stephen Roy Austin, Andy Mitchell, Geordie Scott, Fred Deluce, Sammy Gough, Stan Wakelyn, Bernie Cartwright nd Johnny Wright. Edmonton C.N.R. came close in 1929 beating Vancouver St. Saviours, in the B.C.-Alberta final handily but losing to Winnipeg United Weston in a three game Western final. On the administrative side Charles Smail from Edmonton played a major role in the affairs of the Alberta Football Association and the Dominion of Canada Football Association, as did Fred Crumblehulme from Calgary. Notable and interesting people from Alberta during the period between the wars. Dr. George Arthur Ings – Born: Charlottetown, Prince Edward island. Died: Edmonton, Alberta, October 10, 1933. First president of the Alberta Provincial Football Association, founded June 8, 1907 in High River, Alberta. In April of 1909 he was a delegate to talks of a merger between his Association and the Central Alberta Football League founded in 1906 in Red Deer. As a result of these talks the Alberta Football Association was formed in Red Dear on April 30, 1909. In 1907 he was president of the Calgary Caledonians when they won the first People’s Shield competition and Honourary President in 1908 when the Callies repeated. Dr. Ings was educated at Kings College, Windsor, Nova Scotia and Edinburgh University in Scotland. On returning to Canada he settled in Calgary and practised there until the outbreak of World War One when he received a commission from the Canadian Army Medical Corps and went overseas. He served in England and on the Western Front with the 2nd Divisional Ammunition Column until the Armistice. Shortly after his return to Canada he accepted a government appointment in the northern part of Alberta and was stationed at Fort McMurray, where he remained in practice until his last illness. Charles Mathison Smail – Born: Arbroath, Scotland, June 26, 1882. Died: Edmonton, Alberta, November 25, 1972. President of the Dominion of Canada Football Association in 1932, 1933 and 1934. Emigrated to Canada in 1903 and lived in Regina before moving to Edmonton two years later. Played for Edmonton Caledonian from 1907 to 1910 before turning to the administrative side of the game. The following year he was elected to the executive of the Edmonton and District Football Association and in 1914 became president. League play in Edmonton was suspended during the First World War but when it resumed in 1919 he once again became president and remained in office to 1922, when he moved up to the presidency of the Alberta Football Association. He also served as president of the Alberta Soccer Association for seven different years - 1915, 1919, 1920 and from 1923 to 1926. He first became a council member of the DFA from Alberta in 1923 and occupied that position continuously until 1926 when he became the second vice president. He became first vice president in 1931 and president a year later, being elected by mail vote when no Annual General Meeting was held. One year later he was re-elected by mail vote, but in 1934 was elected to a third term by the delegates attending the annual meeting in Winnipeg. In recognition of his outstanding service to the game he was made a life member of the Alberta and Canadian Soccer Association's. Away from soccer he was employed by the City of Edmonton from 1907 until his retirement as city treasurer in 1949. Inducted into the Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame in 1964. Major Fred Crumblehulme – Born: Bolton, England, 1886. Died: Calgary, Alberta, May 8, 1947. Came to Canada in 1910. Elected President of the Dominion of Canada Football Association in 1946, but died while still in office. A member of the council of the DFA for Alberta in 1928-29, 1929-30, 1930-31 and 1931-32. President of the Alberta Football Association from 1927 to 1935 and for six years secretary of the Calgary Football Association. A coin collector he ran a store in Calgary in the 1930s. Served in the First World War with the 31st Battalion and in the Second World War was appointed Military Services Officer. He was instrumental in obtaining Mewata Stadium as the city’s major sport centre and was honorary secretary of the Stadium Commission for 12 years. James "Jimmy" Graham - Born: Portrush, Northern Ireland. Arrived in Edmonton as a young boy with his parents in 1914 and grew up on the South Side playing soccer and hockey. He played for the Edmonton All-Stars versus the Corinthians in 1924, the English F.A. in 1926, the Welsh F.A. in 1929, the English F.A. again in 1931, and for the Alberta All-Stars against the Scottish F.A. in 1935. He was also a member of the great Edmonton Nationals team that reached the Western final of the national championship in 1929 and lost to United Weston in Winnipeg in three games. His hockey career began in 1925 as an outstanding centre for the Edmonton Gainers Superiors helping them win the Alberta Senior Championship twice and the British Columbia Senior Championship once. In the winter of 1932-33 he toured Europe with the team leading them the Paris International Trophy. After the war he coached the Edmonton Waterloo Mercury's to the World Hockey Championship in London in 1950. Jimmy was also a good baseball player and won the Edmonton Senior Men’s Golf Championship from 1960 to 1962. He was posthumously inducted into the Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame in 1965. Brother George Graham was also an outstanding soccer player with several teams including Toronto Ulster United. Stanley Yorke Wakelyn - Born: Sunderland, England 1890. Died: Calgary, Alberta, December 26, 1978. Great centre forward of the Calgary Hillhurst team that won the People's Shield in 1912 and the Connaught Cup in 1922. Played for Calgary against the touring Corinthians in 1924, England in 1926 and Scotland in 1927. He also went on tour to England in 1911 with Hillhurst. He grew up in Calgary and was said to have had a tremendous shot and kept his forwards going with splendid passes to both wings. Voted one of the players of the half century by the Canadian Press in 1950. Served overseas in the First World War with the 31st Battalion from 1916 to 1918. Worked for many years for Canada Post. Known as "Porridge" to his team mates. The Strang Brothers There were four Strang brothers. John, who was the eldest, died suddenly in 1907 and was considered by many one of the best players the Callies every had. Then came the twins and then Norman, who, like William and many others, was killed overseas in World War One, Alexander "Sandy" Strang – Born: Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Scotland, September 16, 1878. Clubs: Dunfermline Juniors, Aberdeen Orion, Dunfermline Athletic, Glasgow Celtic. Twin brother of William Strang. Suspended by the Scottish F.A. in 1904 and emigrated to Canada. A member of the Calgary Caledonians when they won the Western Canada championship in 1906. Captained the team, from centre half, when they won the People's Shield in 1907 and 1908, and was a member of the team that won for a third time in 1909. Was a member of the great Callies half back line of James Haig, Strang and Jimmy Petrie. William Strang – Born; Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Scotland, September 16, 1878. Clubs: Glasgow Celtic. Twin brother of Sandy Strang. Signed by Celtic on April 23, 1903 he made just two appearances for the first team and spent most of his time in the reserves. Suspended by the Scottish F.A. in 1904 and emigrated to Canada in 1905. Went to live in Calgary. Known as "Wull." Killed during World War One. For more information contact Colin Jose, Historian - colinjose@rogers.com - Tel 519-204 2942 or visit www.thesoccerhalloffame.ca BRITISH COLUMBIA THE EARLY YEARS Given the impact that British Columbia has had on Canadian soccer through the years, it is hard to imagine that the governing body of soccer on the west coast did not join the national soccer association until 1920, eight years after it was founded. Even then B.C. did not send a delegate to the Annual General Meeting until 1921. The Dominion of Canada Football Association was founded in 1912 with Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Northern Ontario and Saskatchewan as members, while Alberta wired applying for membership. However, a governing body of soccer in all of B.C. first came into existence on December 28th, 1904, and remained in power until sometime in 1909. In 1909 a professional soccer league was formed in B.C. bringing the soccer association into direct conflict with the very powerful B.C. Amateur Athletic Union that seems to have led to the collapse of the provincial association. A second B.C. Football Association was formed on August 15,1914. That association, still with strong ties to the BCAAU, chose not to join the DCFA, which by that time had joined FIFA. In turn the DCFA in joining FIFA agreed to support both amateur and professional soccer, upsetting The Amateur Athletic Union of Canada. However, conflict arose in B.C. in the years just before 1920, which resulted in a rival group starting another B.C. provincial governing body which sought affiliation with the DCFA. It was a bitter and complicated battle, with one faction led by David Leith, and the other by Con Jones. Eventually the Con Jones group prevailed and BC joined the DCFA in 1920. From its earliest days soccer in B.C. had strong ties to the neighboring states south of the border. This led to a team from California visiting B.C. as early as 1909. The Californians played six games in B.C. against Vancouver, Nanaimo, Vancouver, Ladysmith and Victoria. Later that same year a B.C. All-Star team visited California while a second Vancouver All-Star team visited California again in 1913. Then in 1910 professional soccer was introduced in B.C. The first professional game ever played in Canada took place at Recreation Park in Vancouver on March 25 between the Rovers and the Callies. In 1911 the first touring team from overseas played in B.C. when the famous English amateur team the Corinthians toured Canada and the U.S. They played in Vancouver on August 11 and beat the Vancouver All-Stars 5-1, before crossing the Georgia Strait to Nanaimo where they tied 2-2 with a powerful Nanaimo/Ladysmith combination. The Corinthians remained on the Island and beat Victoria 4-2 before returning to the Mainland to once again defeat Vancouver 4-1. Due to the generally mild winters on the coast, the B.C. soccer season has usually been played from September through to the spring, thus being out of step with the rest of Canada where soccer can only be played during the summer months. No overseas touring team played in B.C. again until 1921 when the powerful Scottish F.A. team played teams representing the Mainland, Upper Island, Victoria and B.C. It was the start of many games played between B.C. All-Star teams and touring teams in the inter-war years. As a general rule touring teams played two games on the Island and two on the Mainland, with the second game on the Mainland occasionally being a game against a B.C. All-Star team. This was the case in 1927 when the B.C. All-Stars were beaten 6-0 by the touring Scottish F.A. team. On that day B.C. lined up with Andy Roots in goal, Bert Daggar and Vie Laven at full back, George Russell, Neil McFarlane and Jimmy Heaps in the half back line while Alex Cameron, Bob McDougall, Duff Davies, Dickie Stobbart and Adam Kerr were the forwards. This format was tried again in 1931 when B.C. was beaten 4-1 by the English F.A. team. On that occasion B.C. was represented by Harold Singleton – Bill Constable, Tommy McKibbin – Murray West, Dickie Stobbart, and Alcock – George Stephen, Preston, Bill Findler, Dave Turner and Jack d’Easum. Then in 1935, when the Scots once again came calling, with some of the greatest names in the history of the game in the line up, they struggled to beat B.C. 1-0. That B.C. team was: Stan Stronge – Fred Easley, Don Cowan – Murray West, Don McPherson, Jimmy Gemmill – Billy McNeil, Trevor Harvey, Ray Watchorn, Jimmy Spencer and Johnny McKay. It was a similar story in 1939 when the Scots beat B.C. 3-1. The B.C. team on that day was Stan Stronge – Don Cowan, Tommy McKibbin – Murray West, Trevor Harvey, Jimmy Gemmill – Jack Johnson, Johnny McKay, Hap Smith, Jim Spencer, Norman Mcleod. In 1924, Canada sent a team to tour Australia for three months in the Canadian summer and the Australian winter, among the B.C. players making the trip were goalkeeper Henry Mosher (UBC), George Anderson (Ladysmith), Dickie Stobbart (Nanaimo), Jack Armstrong (Vancouver St. Andrews) and Harry Chapman (Ladysmith), The party was led by James Adam from Victoria, while Don Morrison from Ladysmith was the trainer. Three years later Canada returned to the South Pacific to tour New Zealand. Once again B.C. was well represented in the touring party that included Stan Tait and Ernie Edmonds of Nanaimo, Jack Monaghan of Vancouver Woodfibre, and Don Archibald of Vancouver North Shore. The party also included Dave Turner, then playing in Toronto for Ulster United, later to make a name for himself with Westminster Royals. James Adam once again led the party. While the governing body of soccer in B.C. remained outside of the DCFA no club team from BC entered the competition for the national championship until 1921 when Ladysmith went all the way to the final before being beaten by Toronto Scottish in Toronto. In those early days the power in BC soccer seemed to rest with the teams on the Island, particularly teams from the mining towns of Nanaimo, Ladysmith and Cumberland. Nanaimo Wanderers won the national championship in 1923, but lost in the final in 1925. One year later Canadian Collieries from Cumberland were losing finalists but only after four games had been played. Nanaimo made its third appearance in the final in 1927 and won the trophy for the second time. So in seven years during the 1920s teams from Vancouver Island reached the final four times. That all changed at the end of the 1927-1928 season when the great Westminster Royals team won the title. The Royals won again in the 1929-1930, 1930-1931 and 1935-1936 seasons followed by Johnston National Storage from Vancouver in 1936-1937, North Shore in 1937-1938 and Radials in 1938-1939, before the outbreak of war interrupted the 1939-1940 competition. Thus between 1921, when BC teams first entered the national championship and 1939, they were in the final in 13 years out of the 19 and winning on nine occasions. On the provincial level an unofficial B.C. championship was played in 1896 and won by Victoria Wanderers, but the official B.C. championship did not begin until 1911 when B.C. Premier Eugene McBride presented a shield for competition; the first competition being won by Victoria West who beat Vancouver Athletic Club. The McBride Shield was replaced in 1922 by the Province Cup, presented by B.C. Lieutenant Governor Walter Cameron Nichol and the publisher of the Province newspaper. However before that in 1915 B.C. Premier William John Bowser presented the huge Mainland Cup for competition on the Lower Mainland. At the end of the decade in 1939, B.C. once again sent an All-Star team to California. The occasion was the California World’s Fair. B.C. swept the three game series against the San Francisco All-Stars winning 8-2, 5-1 and 4-2 Some notable players and administrators James Adam – B.C. delegate to the annual meetings of the DCFA throughout the 1920s, he also managed the national team on its tours to Australia in 1924 and New Zealand in 1927. He was an All-Star centre forward in his playing days. John Russell – Became president of the DCFA in 1925 when John Easton resigned and remained president until 1931. He first came to prominence in 1920 in the dispute over which provincial association should join the national governing body and remained in the forefront of B.C. soccer as the leader of the B.C. Soccer Commission in the 1930s. In 1946 when the DCFA was reformed he was the secretary from 1946 to 1947. Dickie Stobbart – A member of the Canadian team that toured Australia in 1924 he was awarded a gold medal by the Australian authorities as the outstanding player on the tour. He played in the national final in 1921 with Ladysmith, then Nanaimo in 1923 and 1925 and Westminster Royals in 1928 and 1931. He also played for the B.C. All-Stars in 1927 against the Scottish F.A. and in 1931 against the English F.A. and he was inducted into The Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002. Ernie Edmunds – A member of the Canadian team that toured New Zealand in 1927, he had an outstanding career in B.C. soccer. A member of the Nanaimo team in the national finals of 1925 and 1935 and played for the Pacific Coast All-Stars against the English F.A. in 1926. He also played in the 1926, 1932 and 1935 Province Cup finals for Nanaimo. George Anderson – A member of the Canadian team that toured Australia in 1924, he played right back in all six internationals. He played for Westminster Royals when they won the national title in 1928, 1930 and 1936 and also played in the 1923 and 1924 Province Cup finals for Ladysmith and 1930, 1931, 1932 and 1936 for Westminster Royals. Austin Delany – Left Half on the great Westminster Royals teams of 1928 and 1930, he went on to a career in journalism with the Vancouver Sun. The name was Delany and not Delaney. Dave Turner – A member of the Canadian team that toured New Zealand in 1927 he played in three of the four internationals. Had an outstanding club career with Edmonton South Side, Canadian Collieries in Cumberland, Vancouver St. Andrews, Toronto Ulster United and Westminster Royals in Canada and also played for New Bedford Whalers and Philadelphia in the U.S. He won Canadian championship medals with Westminster Royals in 1928, 1930, 1931 and 1936. He was voted Canada’s Player of the Half Century in 1950, by the Canadian Press and he was inducted into The Soccer Hall of Fame in 2000. Trevor Harvey – First gained prominence as a member of the B.C. All-Star team narrowly defeated by the Scottish F.A. team in 1935 and went on to a great career, winning national championship medals in 1936 with Westminster Royals, 1937 with Johnston National Storage and in 1938 and 1949 with Vancouver North Shore. He played numerous times for the B.C. All-Stars, and he was inducted into The Soccer Hall of Fame in 2004. Jimmy Spencer – Played almost his entire career with Vancouver North Shore winning national championship medals in 1938 and 1949. He played for the B.C. All-Stars in 1935 and 1939 against the Scottish F.A. and 1937 against Charlton Athletic. He also played for the B.C. All-Stars at the California World’s Fair in 1939 scoring seven goals in three games. He was inducted into The Soccer Hall of Fame in 2003. For more information contact Colin Jose, Historian - colinjose@rogers.com - Tel 519-204 2942 or visit www.thesoccerhalloffame.ca MANITOBA THE EARLY YEARS The Manitoba Football Association is the oldest provincial soccer association in Canada. Formed in Brandon, Manitoba on March 19, 1896 by delegates from Neepawa, McGregor, Ancrum, Austin, Carberry, Elkhorn, Portage la Prairie, Brandon, Souris, Hartney and Winnipeg, the constitution was based on that of the Western Football Association of Ontario, itself formed in 1880. The first president was J. ,Shoemaker of Carberry, the vice-presidents C.A. St. John of Neepawa, C.F. Travis of Elkhorn, George Fraser from Elkhorn, A.M. Campbell from Souris, Chris Newton from Rounthwaite and Ben Woodhall from Holland. The secretary-treasurer W.A. Harvey was from Winnipeg. By June of 1898 the team from Carberry were touring Ontario and played in Wingham, Clinton, Seaforth, Berlin (Kitchener), Burlington, Bright, Toronto and Deseronto. On the way east they even played in St. Paul, Minnesota. In July of 1902 Winnipeg Shamrocks came east to Ontario and Quebec and played in Berlin, Galt, Toronto, Cornwall, Montreal and Ottawa. The Shamrocks beat Ottawa 10-0 and Montreal 4-0. In 1903 Galt Football Club returned the favour playing in Winnipeg, Gretna, Manitou, Plum Coulee, Crystal City, Pilot Mound, Deloraine, Hartney, Brandon, Souris, Gladstone and Portage la Prairie. Galt played the Shamrocks in Winnipeg and won 1-0. In August of 1907 Winnipeg Britannias entered competition for the People’s Shield, then the unofficial championship of Canada, and beat Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan 2-0 before losing to Calgary Caledonians in the final 1-0. In 1909 United Weston from Winnipeg played in the same competition but was defeated 3-2 by Vancouver Celtic in Calgary. The Calgary Herald of August 26, 1909 contains biographies of the following United Weston players. A.G. Sutherland, T. Stacey, A. Little, R. Smith, I. Creighton, H. Tyles, J. Moir, C. Howell, C. Colvin, H. Bignall, A. Noble and A, Hawker. The summer of 1911 saw the first visit of an overseas touring team to Winnipeg, with the famous Corinthians from England playing in the city. The Corinthians won 2-1 and the players who represented Winnipeg on that historic occasion were A. Bennett, Adam Smith, J. Farish, W. Leslie, L. Creighton, Harry McMaster, A. Wilkie, W. Bradshaw, H. Bignell, J. Robertson and R.S. Bennett. It was to be the first of many visits from overseas teams. Prior to World War Two touring teams often played in Winnipeg once on their way to the west coast by CPR, via Regina and Calgary, and once on their way back by CNR via Edmonton and Saskatoon. Winnipeg also has the distinction of being the city in which the Dominion of Canada Football Association, today’s Canadian Soccer Association, was formed. The meetings took place in July of 1912. At the meeting the Manitoba Football Association joined with the provincial associations of Ontario, New Ontario (that area of the Province from today’s Thunder Bay, westward to the Manitoba border), Quebec, Saskatchewan and Alberta to form the national association. Sam Larkin of Winnipeg was elected a vice-president. One year later the competition for the Connaught Cup, the national championship, began with Norwood Wanderers from Winnipeg being the first winners, with the competition being played in Fort William, Ontario. In 1914 Norwood won again this time on home turf in Winnipeg, while in that same year E. Bailey Fisher from Winnipeg was elected president of the DCFA, Winnipeg Scottish became the third team from Manitoba to win the Connaught Cup in 1915, while following World War One, Winnipeg War Veterans in 1919 and Winnipeg Britannia reached the national final, but ended up on the losing side. After the Connaught Cup was replaced by the trophy presented by the Football Association of England, United Weston won the championship in 1924 and 1926 and were on the losing side in 1929 and 1936. By the time that the 1920s arrived the competition for the championship of Manitoba was in full force and teams such as Fort Rouge Rangers, United Weston, Winnipeg Nationals, Robertson Memorial, St. James, Winnipeg Scottish, Winnipeg Irish and in the 1930’s Government Telephones were in the final. Touring teams came and went. The Scottish F.A. team in 1921, Corinthians in 1924, England in 1926, the Scottish F.A. again in 1927, Vienna Hakoah also in 1927, the Welsh F.A. in 1929, Glasgow Rangers in 1930, England again in 1931, Scotland in 1935 and 1939 and Charlton Athletic in 1937. In 1927 the Scots played Hakoah in a battle royal. In the years between the two World Wars, the national cup final was played at Carruthers Park in Winnipeg 15 out of the 20 times. As a result Winnipeg referees such as Sandy McMahon, Jimmy Duncanson, Billy Bowman, Jack Mitchell, Jimmy Kelly, Art King and Harold Gillespie were in great demand. In that same period Winnipeg’s Dan McNeil and John Easton were president of the national association, and David Roy and Sam Davidson were national association secretaries. Davidson was secretary, and arguably the most powerful man in Canadian soccer, from 1922 to 1940 running the national association through the very difficult years of the Great Depression. In 1924, Bob Harley from United Weston captained the highly successful Canadian team that toured Australia. Also on that tour was J. Hood from Brandon. In 1927 on the tour of New Zealand, Manitoba was represented by Bill Brolley from Winnipeg Irish, Bill Gibson from Winnipeg Nationals and D. Thompson from Winnipeg St. James. When the Scottish F.A. team toured Canada in 1935 and played the Manitoba All-Stars in Winnipeg, the Manitoba line up included; F. Davis, Ernie Scholes, J. Morison, A. Pratt, Alex Archer, J. Daly, G. Hutchinson, S. Murray, Bobby Hampton, J. Fulton and George Pickup. Archer was born in England, but grew up in Winnipeg, where he played soccer and hockey. He was a member of the Winnipeg Scottish team that won the Manitoba championship in 1927 but was defeated in the finals of 1928 and 1930. Shortly after the 1935 game against the Scots, he was on his way to England to play hockey for Wembley Lions in the British League. Early in 1936 he was a gold medalist at the 1936 Winter Olympic Games in Germany as a member of the British national team that beat Canada in the final. While officially, the Pan American Games did not start until 1955, there was a Pan American Exposition held in Dallas, Texas in 1937 in which there was a soccer tournament. Canada, the United States and Argentina, sent teams, Canada was represented by a team made up largely of players from Winnipeg Irish, who beat the U.S. 3-2 but lost 8-1 to Argentina. The Winnipeg players who went to Texas back then were: ‘Spud’ Birch, Steve Olander, ‘Shifty’ Jennings, Joe Shack, Joe Playfoot, Jackie Low, Sandy Murray, Ernie Scholes, ‘Buzz’ Horne, George Pickup and G, Ness (all from Winnipeg Irish). In addition the team included Jack Boyd (St. James Legion) and Harry Beckwith (Elmwood United). Towards the end of the inter-war period one Winnipeg player was sent for a trial with England’s Wolverhampton Wanderers, This was Doug McMahon, son of Winnipeg referee Sandy McMahon. Wolves signed Doug McMahon, and played one game in the First Division of the Football League of England, before the war interrupted his career. The following players and officials from Manitoba are of special interest, Alexander “Sandy” Archer – Born: West Ham, London, England May 1st, 1910 of Scottish parents. Club: Winnipeg Scottish. Moved to Winnipeg at the age of three where he learned to play soccer and hockey. He played soccer for the Manitoba All-Stars against the Welsh F.A. touring team in 1929 and the Scottish F.A. touring team in 1935 before returning to England to play hockey for the Wembley Lions in the British National Hockey League. He remained with the Wembley Lions for five seasons picking up 82 goals and 77 assists. His selection to the British team in 1936 for the Winter Olympics in Garmish-Partenkirchen provoked strong protests from Canada who claimed that he had not been released by the Canadian Association. The protests were turned down whereupon he played seven games in the 1936 Olympics picking up a gold medal. Two more gold medals followed in the 1937 and 1938 European Championships for a total of 14 goals and 10 assists in 24 games for his country. A fractured skull at Wembley in 1945 against Sweden ended his playing career. On retiring he turned to coaching at Wembley, Nottingham and Murrayfield. He was a British League All-Star “A” team member for three consecutive seasons from 1937-38, and an All-Star “B” coach for 1946-47 and 1947-48 and was elected to the British Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993. He died in 1982. Edward Bailey Fisher – Born: Wallasey, England in 1871. He came to Canada in 1887 and lived in Minnedosa where he practised law. He died in Calgary, Alberta, April 17, 1946. He was President of the Dominion of Canada Football Association in 1914 and President of the Manitoba Football Association in 1914, 1915 and 1916. Moved to South America in the mid 1930s Sam Davidson – Born: Ballymena, Northern Ireland, 1886. Died: Winnipeg, Manitoba, November 4, 1965. Emigrated to Canada in the early years of the century and went to live in Winnipeg. He was refereeing local soccer when John Easton, Dominion Football Association president, came looking for a secretary to run the game virtually full time in the 1920's. A journeyman plumber Sam quit his profession in 1923 to take the DCFA position full time. Carruthers Park had been built after World War One, Sam lived nearby and he established an office in the wooden stands of the park. Carruthers Park became the home of the finals of the Canadian Challenge Cup for many years, the final only occasionally going to Toronto or Vancouver. Winnipeg supported the competition enthusiastically. Davidson led many touring teams from coast to coast in the period between the wars, earning valuable dollars for the Association through his shrewd business sense. In World War II Davidson saw service in Canada with the Canadian Army. During this period, with soccer activity shut down, Carruthers Park stood forlorn and empty and was eventually sold and demolished for taxes. At war's end, in 1946, Sam Davidson was in on the revival of the Dominion Football Association, to aid his friend and colleague, George Anderson, who for many years thereafter took over Davidson’s role as secretary. Sam Davidson was inducted into The Soccer Hall of Fame in 2000. John Easton – Born: Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1874. Died: Winnipeg, Manitoba, April 29, 1949. President of the Dominion of Canada Football Association in 1922, 1923, 1924 and 1925. Resigned part way through his final year over the issue of Sunday soccer. President during the turbulent years of the 1920's when the DCFA had to deal with the Canadian Football Association and an Eastern Canada Association which had broken away from the national body. A past president of the Winnipeg public parks board and of the Protestant orphans home of Manitoba. An Orangeman he was past grand master of Manitoba and of British America. Douglas Alexander McMahon – Born: Winnipeg, Manitoba. Clubs: United Weston (Winnipeg), Wolverhampton Wanderers 1938-40, Chicago Maroons 1946, Montreal Carsteel 1948. Doug went to England for a month's trial with the famous Wolves in the fall of 1938 and was signed on October 11. He made his First Division debut against Blackpool on January 1, 1939, then went on a European tour with the team that spring and scored a goal in each half against a Danish Select team in Copenhagen. Remained with Wolves after the start of World War Two, played six games and scored nine goals in the Midland Regional League during the 1939-40 season. However, World War Two interrupted a very promising career. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve on June 19, 1941 and served until discharged on August 31, 1945. In the 1946 season he played for the Chicago Maroons in the newly formed North American Professional Soccer League Played for Eastern Canada against the Eastern United States in 1947 and won a Canadian championship medal with Montreal Carsteel in 1948, scoring two goals in the first game of the final and another in the third game. Coach of Montreal Sparta in 1956. He was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002. Sandy McMahon – Born in Scotland, came to Canada in 1912. Before World War Two he was one of Canada;s top referees and refereed 15 National Challenge Cup final games between 1923 and 1935. He was also the referee of choice when touring teams played in Winnipeg. He officiated the Corinthians game against United Weston in 1924, the Scottish F.A. against Manitoba in 1927, the Scottish F.A. against Hakoah Vienna also in 1927 and the Welsh F.A. against Manitoba in 1929. He was past president and an honorary life member of the Civic Caledonian Curling Club and also of the Manitoba Curling Association. He died in Winnipeg, August 5, 1968 Robert Walkinshaw "Bob" Harley – Born: Renfrew, Scotland, September 8, 1888. Died: Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1958. Captain of the Canadian team that toured Australia in 1924. Grew up in Scotland, was an active and highly regarded player as a youth and was in the Glasgow Rangers youth programme before he moved to Canada in 1911. In 1914 he served overseas with the Fifth battalion and was wounded in action at the front in 1916. He sustained a very serious leg injury. He was decorated for valour for his service at the front and returned to Winnipeg where he spent a year and a half recuperating in the Tuxedo Army hospital. After a long period he resumed his soccer career playing for Manitoba against the Scottish F.A. touring team in 1921 and for Winnipeg against the same team. He went on to captain the United Weston side that appeared in the national final between 1924 and 1926. After the Australian tour, he continued his playing career and played well into the 1950s. He put on many clinics across Manitoba and Saskatchewan and became closely involved with the local YMHA as a player and coach. He was later honoured as a member of their Sports Hall of Fame. Of the 1924 tour "The Referee" one of the daily newspapers in Sydney, Australia wrote. "Bob Harley, captain of the Canadians, filled the most difficult position on the field, centre half. Like the majority of good halves, Harley graduated from the front line, and feeding forwards was his forte. He was never guilty of kicking up the field, like some halves do, in the hope that his comrades would get the ball before the backs." He was inducted into the Soccer Hall of Fame in 2003. For more information contact Colin Jose, Historian - colinjose@rogers.com - Tel 519-204 2942 or visit www.thesoccerhalloffame.ca MONTREAL BEFORE WORLD WAR TWO Montreal was a major player on the Canadian soccer scene long before the Montreal Manic and the Montreal Impact came on the scene. Railway teams like Grand Trunk, Canadian Pacific and Canadian National had powerful teams as did Grenadier Guards, Vickers, Blue Bonnets, Emard St. Paul, Maisonneuve, Verdun Park, the Aldred Building, Royal Victoria Hospital, Carsteel and across the St. Lawrence River, the explosives factory in Beloeil. Grand Trunk Railway won the national title in 1919, CPR were in the national final on the losing side in 1923 as were Explosives the following year, while CNR lost in 1928, won the title in 1929 and lost again in 1930. But in 1935, Verdun Park were victorious as were Aldred Building in 1936, while Carsteel lost in the 1939 final. Montreal also supplied players for Canada’s national teams. Joe Kennaway, Eddie MacLaine, Andy Clark, Bill McKean, Dave McKenzie, Alex Smith, Harry Barnes, Malcolm Moon and Jimmie Baillie all represented Canada against the U.S. in 1925 and 1926. In addition, Hank Noseworthy and Bill Sanford were members of the Canadian team that toured Australia in 1924, while Noseworthy, again, and Moon toured New Zealand in 1927. Many of Montreal’s best players, including Kennaway, MacLaine, Jimmy Montgomerie, George Jenkins, Jack Renfrew, Ned Tate, Alex Kemp, Bobby Drummond, Bill Westwater, Dave McEachran, Bob McAuley and Johnny Nicol made their mark in the professional American Soccer League in the U.S. A regular part of the scene in those days was the Carls-Rite Cup. Games were played between the Montreal and Toronto All-Star teams, one game in each city in most years, starting in 1914 and continuing until 1931. Among the many outstanding players who played in these games, in addition to the above, were Artie Wouteresz, Jimmy McLeish, Eddie Stott, Alec Rae, Chic Craigie, Adam Smith and Bob Calder. Montreal men also played a major role on the national scene in the administration of the affairs of the then Dominion of Canada Football Association. Fred Barter was the first president of the DCFA in 1912; Craig Campbell from 1915 to 1919 and Len Peto from 1935 to 1939. Tom Mitchell, Neil Hepburn, Jim Keith, Jock Somerville and Horace Lyons also played significant roles. On the provincial scene the Province of Quebec Football Association was formed in 1911 with Fred Barter as president and Joshua Wilson as secretary. Frequent turbulence caused the DCFA to appoint a Commission to run the provincial association in 1929. That Commission was led over the years by Jim Keith, Tom Brown, Duncan Cameron, Bill Clapp, Ernest Goat and Bob Walker. Bob Walker became DCFA President for a few months in 1947. Some of the more interesting and notable people in Quebec soccer in those years were, Frank Calder who became the first President of the National Hockey league in 1917, but before that was deeply involved in soccer in Montreal. He represented the Montreal and District League at the founding meeting of the Province of Quebec Football Association in 1911. He refereed the game between the Montreal All-Stars and the famous English amateur team known as The Corinthians when they toured Canada in 1906. Fred Barter, a Montreal journalist, was the first president of the Dominion of Canada Football Association, today’s Canadian Soccer Association, in 1912 and the first president of the PQFA in 1911. Craig Campbell was president of the Dominion of Canada Football Association from 1915 to 1919, the years of World War One, a time when the DCFA didn’t hold an annual meeting, so he virtually ran the national association by himself. Craig Campbell also wrote about soccer for the Montreal Star until his death in 1929. He was born in Liverpool, England and came to Canada in 1909. Joe Kennaway, born in Point St. Charles, played for the CPR team and in 1926 for Canada against the United States in Brooklyn, he moved, like many others, south of the border to play in the United States in the professional American Soccer League. There, he played for Providence and Fall River and then crossed the Atlantic to become a big star with Glasgow Celtic. Kennaway won the Scottish League championship twice, the Scottish F.A. Cup three times and the Empire Cup in his time in Glasgow. He also played for Scotland against Austria at Hampden Park in 1933 and several times for the Scottish League team. In his day he was deemed to be one of the finest goalkeepers in the world. When hi playing days were over he coached Brown University in Providence for many years. Horace Lyons. In the 20s and 30s whenever there was an important game played in Montreal, the man in the middle trying to control the action was Horace Lyons. Within a few weeks of his arrival in Canada, in 1912, he passed the PQFA test and soon became one the top referee’s in the country and he was an outstanding referee in Montreal for 26 years. He refereed the international between Canada and the U.S. in 1925. When he turned in his whistle he became president of the PQFA, then a council member of the DCFA and from 1947 to 1949 a vice-president of the national body. Leonard Arthur Peto was Vice President and General Manager of the Canadian Car & Foundry Company in Montreal. He founded Montreal Carsteel and played a leading role in the formation of the National Soccer League in 1926. From 1935 to 1939 he was the President of the Dominion of Canada Football Association and, it is claimed, bailed them out of financial trouble with his own money. In the early 1940s he was invited by Senator Donat Raymond to join the board of the Canadian Arena Company which led to his becoming one of a three-man committee directing operations of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League. In 1946 he attempted to obtain an NHL franchise for Philadelphia and almost succeeded. He seems to have died in Sonora County, California in November of 1985. Sam Chedgzoy was a famous England international with Everton, who coached the Grenadier Guards team in the summer of 1924, then returned to England. He came back in 1930 after a spell in the United States with New Bedford Whalers and coached Montreal Carsteel until the outbreak of World War Two. He died in Montreal and is buried in Deux Montagnes, and was inducted into The Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005. The Castonguay Brothers, Roland, Paul Emil and Marcel were a rarity in the years before World War Two, French speaking Canadians, who not only played soccer, but also played it at the highest level in Canada. Roland, known as “Dempsey” for some reason, was so well regarded that he was among those players chosen as Canada’s Player of the Half Century in a Canadian Press poll in late 1950. Roland was a winger, as was Marcel, while Paul Emil was a centre forward. Roland was a member of the Verdun Park team that won the national championship in 1934 and all three brothers were on the losing side in the national final of 1939 with Carsteel. In 1948 Paul Emil and Marcel were on the winning side with Carsteel. The Fitzpatrick Brothers, Charlie, Allan and Larry starred in the mid 1930s. Charlie at outside right and Larry at centre forward were on the winning side in the national final of 1934 with Verdun Park All three brothers were members of the Aldred Building team that won the title in 1935. Allan Fitzpatrick was an outstanding badminton player the national badminton team manager from 1966 to 1970 and general manager of the 1982 Commonwealth Games team. Eddie MacLaine, began his career with Albion Rovers in Scotland, came to Canada in 1924 and joined the Grenadier Guards team for one season. When in 1925 the Guards disbanded he joined the Maroons and in 1926 Carsteel. In 1925 he scored the only goal which won for Canada against the United States at Alexandra Park in Montreal. In 1926 he was in the U.S. playing for Providence, but in 1927 rejoined Carsteel scoring 60 goals in 28 games in the National Soccer League. On retiring he turned to management and was secretary of Carsteel when they won the national title in 1948. Jimmy Montgomerie was born in Scotland, came to Canada before World War One and played soccer briefly until the outbreak of the war. He served in the Canadian military and won numerous honours. When the war was over he returned to Montreal to play for the Grenadier Guards in the Inter-Provincial League of the 1920s. Later New Bedford Whalers lured him away to play in the American Soccer League for many years. Johnny Nicol came to Montreal from Lancashire, England when he was 13. By the time he was 15, he had enlisted in the Canadian Army and was soon serving in Europe. Back in Montreal in 1919 he moved from Rosemount Rovers in the third division to the second and then spent five seasons in the first division with CPR. A goalkeeper he captained the Montreal All-Stars team in 1924 that beat the touring Corinthians from England 4-1. He later moved to the U.S. to play professionally with Providence. Returning to Montreal he captained and managed the Printers in the Montreal First Division in 1930 and 1931. Jimmy Nelson, like Joe Kennaway, hailed from Point St. Charles and was a goalkeeper. He was a member of the Montreal C.N.R. team that reached the Canadian final three years in a row, winning the title in 1929, but finishing on the losing side in 1928 and 1930 to Westminster Royals. He was back in the final again in 1935 winning his second national title with the team formed by the Aldred Building. In addition to soccer Nelson was a football star in Montreal with Railroad YMCA and Grand Trunk where he played flying wing and as a quarterback for one season. George Jenkins was born in England. In his Montreal days played centre forward eventually moving to the U.S. to play for Indiana Flooring of New York in the American Soccer League. When he came back to Montreal he was converted into a goalkeeper, and crossed the Atlantic to play many years for Glasgow Rangers. Bob McAuley was born in Scotland but grew up in Montreal, where he played for Lachine and Blue Bonnets. He too was lured away to the U.S. to play for Providence and Fall River. In the fall of 1930 he returned to Scotland to play for Glasgow Rangers and later for Chelsea of the Football League. He also played twice for the Scottish national team. Bill Westwater came to Canada in 1922 from Scotland after serving in World War One. In Scotland he had played for Hearts but on arriving in Canada settled in Toronto before moving to Montreal. In Toronto he played for the All-Scots and in Montreal for Carsteel. Like many others he moved to the American Soccer League to play for New Bedford Whalers. Joe Kennaway and Horace Lyons were inducted into The Soccer Hall of Fame in 2000 and Sam Chedgzoy in 2005. For more information contact Colin Jose, Historian - colinjose@rogers.com - Tel 519-204 2942 or visit www.thesoccerhalloffame.ca