Shawsheen Indians were a

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soccer club based in

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in '' The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. An encyclopedia (American Engli ...

during the early 1920s.

History

The Shawsheen Football Club, known by its nickname The Indians, was founded by George Park and played in the New Bedford Industrial Soccer League in the early 1920s. In 1924, Park left the team and George Wallace, private secretary to William Wood owner of the

American Woolen Company The American Woolen Company is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of men’s and women’s worsted and woolen fabrics. Based in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, the company operates from the 160-year-old Warren Mills, which it acquired from Lo ...

, took over management of the team. He had a vision of taking the Indians to the top of the U.S. soccer world. To realize that dream, he convinced Mr. Wood to sponsor the team and fund the building of a state of the art soccer stadium, Balmoral Park. Wallace then recruited several Scottish league players to move to the United States. In 1924, the Indians entered the Massachusetts State Cup for the first time, easily disposing of the competition, including a 3-0 victory over the

Holyoke Falcos Falco F.C., commonly known as the Holyoke Falcos, was an American soccer club based in Holyoke, Massachusetts, that was a founding member of the professional American Soccer League,"Soccer Fans Have Chance To Enthuse". (August 5, 1921). ''Holyok ...

in the final. In the fall of 1924, Shawsheen entered a semi-professional New England league known as the National League. The Indians won the 1924-1925 league title. It also entered the

1925 National Challenge Cup Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

, the first time the Indians had entered the Challenge Cup. Despite their novice status, they ran away with the championship, defeating the Chicago Canadian Club 3-0 in the April 14, 1925 final at

Mark's Stadium Mark's Stadium is a former soccer stadium located in North Tiverton, Rhode Island. During the 1920s and early 1930s it was the home of Fall River Marksmen, one of the era’s most successful soccer teams. It is one of the earliest examples of a ...

. Wallace had attained his goal of taking his team to the top. The only step remaining was to turn fully professional and compete with the best teams in the region on a weekly basis. To do this, he entered the Indians in the professional American Soccer League for the 1925-1926 season. Using a revamped lineup, including several players on loan from the Fall River F.C., the Indians began the season well. However, William Wood died early in the season and his successors ended the American Woolen Company's sponsorship of the Indians. Attendance alone was unable to pay for the team's expenses and it was forced into banckruptcy, withdrew from the ASL at the end of March 1926 and ceased operations.

Year-by-year

Honors

National Challenge Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. Op ...

:*''Winners'' 1925: 1 *Massachusetts State Cup :* ''Winners'' 1924: 1

References

Defunct soccer clubs in Massachusetts American Soccer League (1921–1933) teams 1926 disestablishments in Massachusetts American Woolen Company Association football clubs disestablished in 1926 U.S. Open Cup winners {{Massachusetts-footyclub-stub