SNEL 1921-22 season

Oct. 19, 2021 |  Categories:  SNEL  

The Southern New England League went down to only four clubs for the 1921-22 season. In the offseason, J. & P. Coats F.C. left to join the major league American Soccer League and Crompton F.C. left to join a local Rhode Island League. St. Michael's of Fall River returned to join Fall River Rovers, Fore River F.C. of Quincy, and Saylesville F.C. of Rhode Island.

The Rovers had been considered to join the new ASL but decided against it. Because of that Thomas Cahill, secretary of the U.S.F.A. and the ASL worked to get a new club, Fall River United, to join the ASL. The Rovers had traditionally been the leaseholders of Fall River's Athletic Grounds for many soccer seasons, but Fall River United gained a multi-year lease on the grounds instead putting the Rovers in a difficult position to find a suitable place to play. The Rovers and Uniteds had a running and public disagreement on the Rovers' ability to use the grounds all through the 1921-22 season. While they came to an agreement, it was one that meant the Rovers could only use the grounds on those Saturdays that Fall River United did not. As the major league club sought to play most weekends the Rovers scheduled home games were postponed more often than not.

A handful of league matches were played during the first month of the season before St. Michael's again withdrew citing an inability to keep its team intact. The remaining three clubs played some league matches for the remainder of the season. But the competition dwindled severely after the Saint's withdrawal and it is likely that the season was never finished and no champion was crowned.

In May of 1922, new owners took over the Athletic Grounds in Fall River with plans to carve the land up for house lots. The new owners offered one alternative - the Rovers and Uniteds agree to co-lease the grounds with each other. But, the amount requested by the new owners was too high for both clubs. The clubs combined their resources in an attempt to keep the ASL franchise but ASL secretary Cahill transferred the Fall River ASL franchise to Sam Mark after Mark started building a new soccer stadium in nearby Tiverton, R.I.

During the summer offseason, league officials planned to organize for a 1922-23 season but nothing was finalized. Founded in 1884, the Fall River Rovers with no suitable grounds to play and again another major league club in their city, disbanded in the fall of 1922. SNEL officials again met in mid-September but nothing was accomplished and the league went on hiatus. Fore River moved to the Boston-area Industrial League and Saylesville went to the Pawtucket and District League for the 1922-23 season.