Tombstone
Born: 1981 – ASL expansion franchise
Folded: August 4, 19811Kravitz, Bob. “New England Sharks disband”. The Globe (Boston, MA). August 5, 1981
First Game: May 3, 1981 (L 2-0 @ Pennsylvania Stoners)
Last Game: July 25, 1981 (L 1-0 vs. Rochester Flash)
ASL Championships: None
Stadia
Dunnell Park (1,800)
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owners: George Patrick Duffy & Charles Tapalian
Attendance
New England Sharks attendance records are now complete.
The Sharks home debut at New Bedford’s Sargent Field, a 4-0 victory over the Rochester Flash, drew an announced crowd of 2,655.2“Sports Log”, The Boston Globe, May 17, 1981 The Sharks played five home dates at Sargent Field and three at Dunnell Park in Pawtucket.
Tilting your mobile device may offer better viewing.
Source:
- Lewis, Michael. “Flash finish 3rd in attendance”. The Democrat & Chronicle (Rochester, NY). September 10, 1981 (1981 Sharks figure and 1981 ASL league-wide figures).
Our Favorite Stuff
American Soccer League
T-Shirt
For most of its existence, the American Soccer League was a collection of ethnically-based semi-pro clubs clustered in the northeast. But in the 1970’s, the ASL expanded nationwide and became American’s de facto 2nd Division, underneath the bigger-budgeted NASL. This logo was used by the league from the 1970’s until its demise in 1983.
Our favorite distressed ASL logo tee is made by American Retro Apparel and available today in sizes small through XXXL!
When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Background
The New England Sharks were an obscure 2nd Division American Soccer League (1933-1983) club that folded midway through their only season of existence in the summer of 1981. The Sharks started out in New Bedford, Massachusetts but moved to Pawtucket, Rhode Island in July 1981 in a cost-saving effort.
Sharks co-owner George Patrick Duffy was a long-time youth sports organizer in Pawtucket and was previously involved in the ASL as operator of the Rhode Island Oceaneers franchise in the mid-1970’s. Co-owner Charles Tapalian was a Providence-area property developer.
The team was an absolute shambles from day one. The Sharks initially signed a number of capable players, including former New England Tea Men Steve Reid, who scored a hat trick in the team’s home opener on May 16, Len Mercurio, an All-American forward at the University of Rhode Island, and veteran goalkeeper Jamil Canal.
In June 1981, after first attempting to impose laughable pay cuts on the team that would have reduced game checks to $50 per man, owner/GM Duffy fired the coaching staff and all but one player, goalkeeper Jamil Canal. For the month of July, Duffy filled out the Sharks roster with local amateur players from southern New England and moved the team’s remaining games to Dunnell Park, an unadorned city park in Pawtucket.
The Sharks ran out of money once and for all and shutdown after sixteen matches on August 4, 1981. The club’s record was 4-13 at the time, which included a forfeit of the team’s scheduled match five days earlier that had been postponed. The ASL decided to award 1-0 forfeit victories to each of the remaining opponents on the Sharks’ schedule, so their final record appears as 4-24 in the league’s final standings for the 1981 season.
Downloads
May 1981 New England Sharks Player Bios
1981 New England Sharks Soccer Player Bios
1981 New England Sharks game results and partial attendance
1981 New England Sharks Attendance & Results Bible
Links
###
