Inter-Montreal

Canadian Professional Soccer League (1983)

Background

Inter-Montreal was a failed pro soccer club that played for just five weeks in May and June of 1983 in the Canadian Professional Soccer League.

The CPSL was a six club start-up which sought to establish a nationwide pro league for Canada at a time when the American-dominated North American Soccer League (NASL) was contracting across the continent.  The other five clubs were the Calgary Mustangs, Edmonton Eagles, Hamilton Steelers, Missassauga Croatia SC, and Toronto Nationals.  Inter would be based out of Jarry Park, the former home of Major League Baseball’s Montreal Expos from 1968 to 1976.

Inter vs. Manic

Potentially working in Inter’s favor: the sudden and shocking decline in the popularity of the Montreal Manic of the NASL.  The team, owned by Molson Breweries, arrived in the city to great acclaim in 1981.  At one point in August 1981, the Manic drew back-to-back crowds in excess of 50,000 to Olympic Stadium.  Only the mighty New York Cosmos drew bigger crowds in the NASL.  But in January 1983, Manic management agreed an utterly misguided plan to morph the club into “Team Canada” by the 1984 season.  The club began to divest itself of its best non-Canadian players in preparation to become a farm club for the Canadian National Team’s preparations for the 1986 World Cup.  The Manic’s polyglot fan base – Italians, in particular – abandoned the team in droves.  Attendance dropped a stunning 66%.

Inter President Bob Laker talked a big game and clearly set out to make his club the model franchise of the new league.  Early on, Laker made several splashy moves to back up his claims.  He signed former New York Cosmos and Montreal Manic head man Eddie Firmani as coach and brought in popular former Manic stars Gordon Hill and Bob Vosmaer to play for Inter. He also secured local sponsorship from Labatt Brewing and booked a pair of major European clubs – Marseilles of France and Udinese of Italy – to play international exhibitions in Montreal.

Inter-Montreal and the rest of the CPSL debuted in late May 1983.  The home opener at Jarry Park took place on June 5, 1983 against the Hamilton Steelers.  Laker boldly predicted a near-sellout of 24,000 fans in The Montreal Gazette and ended up claiming 12,412. That number – if true – was larger than any crowd the reeling Manic drew at Olympic Stadium that summer.  But ten days later on June 15th, a Jarry Park date against Hamilton drew only 981 spectators.

Demise & Aftermath

Unlike Molson Breweries which lavished – and lost – an estimated $10 million on the Manic over three years, Laker didn’t have any money.  On June 28, 1983 he folded Inter-Montreal after just eight matches and five weeks of play, citing relatively modest red ink of $100,000.  The rest of the Canadian Professional Soccer League finished out the 1983 season without Inter-Montreal and then folded quietly shortly thereafter.

Inter did managed to pull off the two scheduled international exhibitions, defeating Marseilles 2-0 on June 13, 1983 and besting Udinese 2-1 on penalty kicks on June 19th, 1983. British striker Gordon Hill scored all of the goals for Inter in those two friendlies.

Hill later told Montreal Gazette beat writer Randy Phillips that his last Inter-Montreal check “bounced all the way from here to Australia.”³Phillips, Randy. “Lakers folds Inter-Montreal, predicts league will follow”. The Gazette (Montreal, QC). June 29, 1983

In November 1983, Molson Breweries folded the NASL’s Montreal Manic after three seasons of heavy losses.  Montreal’s soccer fans went from two pro sides in 1983 to none in 1984.

Links

Canadian Professional Soccer League Programs

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