Amateur Leagues (1963-1966)
American Soccer League (1967)
Tombstone
Born: 1967 – ASL expansion franchise*
Re-Branded: 1968 (Washington Darts)
First Game*: September 10, 1967 (L 3-1 @ Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals)
Last Game: December 17, 1967 (? vs. Boston Tigers)
ASL Championships: None
*First game in the American Soccer League. We are not tracking earlier amateur matches under the Britannica name.
Stadia
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owners: Britannica Soccer Club, Inc. (James H. Garnett, President; Norm Sutherland, et al.)
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!
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Background
Washington Britannica was an amateur and later semi-professional soccer club of the mid-1960’s. Britannica first formed as an amateur club around 1963 and competed in local leagues around the nation’s capital. In the fall of 1967, Britannica jumped up to join the American Soccer League, a motley confederation of semi-pro clubs concentrated around New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Britannica hired Scottish footballer Charlie Fleming as head coach for the 1967 season, which kicked off in early September. The club got off to a rough start, losing four times and drawing twice in its first six matches. In late October, the Britannica acquired eight players on loan from the Atlanta Chiefs of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) whose summer season had recently concluded. The transaction drew controversy because the fledgling NPSL had refused to pay a $25,000 sanctioning fee to the United States Soccer Football Association (USSFA), the sport’s domestic governing body. As a result, FIFA, the global governing authority of the game, declared the NPSL to be an “outlaw” league.
The Atlanta Chiefs imports immediately improved the club’s fortunes. On October 22nd, Britannica defeated the visiting Rochester Lancers at home to claim their first victory in seven ASL contests. Peter McParland and Ray Bloomfield, both new arrivals from Atlanta, scored key goals in the 3-2 victory. The other Chiefs on loan included Gordon Ferry, Henry Largie, Ron Newman, Graham Newton and Vic Rouse.
After the midseason overhaul, Britannica finished with a respectable record of 7-6-2.
Name Change & Aftermath
Washington Britannica closed out its season with a home match against the Boston Tigers on December 17th, 1967. In the day’s souvenir program, General Manager Norm Sutherland noted that “today may be the last time that we shall play under the name of Britannica, as a name change should be made in January.”
When the American Soccer League returned for the 1968 season, Washington’s entry was known as the “Darts” with Sutherland still at the helm. The Darts would win the championship of the ASL in 1968 and 1969. In 1970, the Darts joined the top flight North American Soccer League (NASL).
The winding path of the former Britannica franchise ultimately criss-crossed the country over the course of the next quarter century. The NASL’s Washington Darts relocated to Miami in 1971. In 1977, the Miami Toros moved to nearby Fort Lauderdale and became the Strikers. During the late 1970’s, the Strikers signed international superstars such as George Best, Gerd Muller and Teofilo Cubillas. Ron Newman, one of the eight “outlaw” Atlanta Chiefs player loaned to Britannica back in 1967, coached the star-studded Strikers from 1977 to 1979.
The Strikers moved to Minneapolis in 1984 and jumped to the Major Indoor Soccer League later that year following the collapse of the NASL. The Minnesota Strikers played their final match in the spring of 1988 bringing the extended history of Washington Britannica to its conclusion.
In Memoriam
Head Coach Charlie Fleming (Britannica ’67) passed away on August 14th, 1997 at the age of 70.
Links
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