New England Tea Men

New England Tea Men
Full name	New England Tea Men
Founded	1978
Dissolved	1980
Stadium	Schaefer Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts; Nickerson Field, Boston, Massachusetts; Providence Civic Center (indoor) Providence, Rhode Island
Capacity	60,000; 11,940 (indoor)
Coach	Noel Cantwell
League	NASL
Home colors	Away colors

The New England Tea Men were an American professional soccer team based in the Greater Boston metropolitan area. They played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 to 1980. Their home venues for outdoor play were Schaefer Stadium (shared with the NFL's New England Patriots) in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and Nickerson Field near Boston University. They also played one season of indoor soccer in the NASL, using the Providence Civic Center for home games.

The Tea Men were originally owned by Unilever's Lipton subsidiary and given their unusual name as a nod to both the company's product line and the Boston Tea Party.

The Tea Men won their division in 1978 and made a further playoff run in 1980. However, the team struggled for financial solvency in Massachusetts. Right at the start of the 1980–81 indoor season^[1] they relocated to Jacksonville, Florida and became the Jacksonville Tea Men.^[2]

History

Led in its initial season by former Charlton Athletic F.C. striker Mike Flanagan, the Tea Men won their division to much public acclaim, with Flanagan winning the league MVP award.

Subsequent seasons proved not as successful for two important reasons. First, Flanagan, contracted to Charlton, remained in England (an attempt to secure him via a transfer failed, reportedly over endorsement rights). Second, the team was temporarily evicted from Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts when the owners of Foxboro Raceway – located next door – claimed that the Tea Men's matches were causing traffic problems on racing dates.

After spending one unhappy season at Nickerson Field on the campus of Boston University, the team reached an accord with Foxboro Raceway to play in Foxboro, but not on racing dates. As a result, the Tea Men had to play many Monday night matches, which caused attendance to dwindle. At one home game during the 1980 season, only 254 fan attended a game, an all time low for the NASL.^[3]

After leaving New England, the team moved to Jacksonville, Florida and became the Jacksonville Tea Men.

Year-by-year

Year	League	W	L	Pts	Reg. season	Playoffs	Avg. attendance
1978	NASL	19	11	165	1st(t), American Conference, Eastern Division	Lost 1st Round (Ft. Lauderdale)	12,064
1979	NASL	12	18	110	4th, American Conference, Eastern Division	did not qualify	6,562
1979–80	NASL Indoor	2	10	—	5th, Eastern Division	did not qualify	3,249
1980	NASL	18	14	154	3rd, American Conference, Eastern Division	Lost 1st Round (Tampa Bay)	8,748

Honors

Division Champions (1)

1983 Southern Division

NASL Most Valuable Player

1978 Mike Flanagan

U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame

2003 Arnie Mausser^[4]

All-Star first team selections

1978 Gerry Daly, Mike Flanagan, Kevin Keelan, Chris Turner

All-Star honorable mentions

1978 Dave D'Errico
1979 Artur Correia & Gerry Daly

Staff

Derek Carroll – President
Bill Alex – Play-by-Play Announcer
Steve Glendye – Color Commentator on Northeast Sports Network

Coaches

Noel Cantwell – Head Coach
Dennis Viollet – Assistant Manager

References

^ "The Day – Google News Archive Search".
^ Bart Hubbuch (June 25, 2006). "Remember the Tea Men? A pro kickoff". The Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
^ "Tea Men move reported". Democrat and Chronicle. November 18, 1980. p. 5D. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
^ "US Soccer Hall of Fame Membership". Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2013.

[1] "The Day – Google News Archive Search".

[Hubbuch-2] Bart Hubbuch (June 25, 2006). "Remember the Tea Men? A pro kickoff". The Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2011.

[3] "Tea Men move reported". Democrat and Chronicle. November 18, 1980. p. 5D. Retrieved June 13, 2022.

[4] "US Soccer Hall of Fame Membership". Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2013.

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v t e North American Soccer League (1968–1984)
Broadcasters USSF CSA Portal NASL (2011–2017) First overall draft picks
Seasons	1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984
Soccer Bowls	1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984
Predecessors	USA 1967 Final NPSL 1967 Final
Indoor seasons	1971 1975 1976 1978 1979 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1983 1983–84
Conferences	1968 East West 1976–1977 Atlantic Pacific 1978–1980 American National
Related	Soccer Bowl broadcasters NASL Indoor Championship
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