BCSL 1911-12 season

Aug. 8, 2022 |  Categories:  BCSL  

On August 15, 1911, a meeting was held at Lily Hall, 133 Gough Street in San Francisco, jointly by the officers of the California Football Association, the California Association Football League, and the Bay Counties Soccer League to try to bring peace among the organization. Nearly 50 attendees took part in the discussion. No concrete actions were taken but there was discussion to merge the bodies. The CFA was anxious for the outlaw BCSL teams to return to the fold. The CFA's only request was for the BCSL teams to file applications for their reinstatement or admission to membership at the upcoming annual meeting of the CFA. On behalf of the BCSL, W. R. Stewart stated that the best way to move forward was to dispense with the CFA and allow each league to direct the affairs of their clubs; After discussion the general opinion was to leave thing the way they were.

The CFA annual meeting was held on the night of August 25. Peace was made as an agreement was reached for BCSL and CFA to play in the same organization. The outlaw clubs were accorded representation on the executive committee and Frank Inganni, secretary & treasurer of Alameda F.C., was elected secretary. The "insurgents" desired that the game be governed by direct legislation rather than via the CFA executive committee but it was deemed that another meeting would be necessary to discuss that issue. With 15 teams of the CAFL and BCSL ten under the same organization it was thought necessary to form another league. J. P. Booth was elected president of the CFA.

At the annual meeting of the CAFL, applications from the Albion Rovers, Alameda, Corinthians and Rangers Football and Athletic Club, a newly organized team in Alameda, were refused because the league thought too many clubs would make the CAFL unwieldy. The former BCSL clubs and Alameda Rangers reorganized that league for the 1911-12 season. But just prior to the season, the Albion Rovers decided not to field a team for the season because they were unable to field a team due to their players joining the CAFL teams.

The four BCSL teams played a six-game double round robin competition for the Lancaster cup starting Sunday, October 8. Matches were played at two Alameda grounds: Dow's grounds on Oak and Clement Street and Lincoln Park. With five wins and one draw, the Rangers easily won the cup competition which ended on November 12.

In November, the CFA refused to join the American Football Association. That decision meant that California soccer players would be deprived of the right to take part in international matches sanctioned by the AFA. Soon after, the Independents resolved to join the AFA as a club.

The BCSL took a week off before starting the league competition. In the interim, the Barbarian A.C. and Independent F.C. entered their second teams in the BCSL. That brought the number of teams in the league to six. While the Barbarians and Independents would start the season at the Fruitvale baseball park in Oakland, they both would eventually move to play home matches at the BCSL's two Alameda grounds. The 10-game league competition began on Sunday, November 26 and ran until February 4, 1912. The Alameda Rangers also had little difficulty winning the league shield and taking home the BCSL double in their first season.

The Argonauts did not enter the CFA cup competition which started just after the BCSL season. The Alameda Rangers were knocked out in the preliminary round by the Independents first team. The Corinthians beat Stanford University and Alameda beat University of California in that round, but both were beaten by CAFL teams in the first round.