NAFL 1911-12 season and the early soccer war

June 21, 2021 |  Categories:  NAFL  

Turmoil and change was the order for the 1911-12 soccer season. Prior to the season, the American Amateur Football Association, a new national organization controlling amateur soccer in the US, was formed. The core of the formation was the New York State Football Association but a number of associations across the country soon affiliated with it. The AAFA was a direct competitor of the American Football Association, of which the NAFL was affiliated.

The Corinthians, an all-star team from England, toured the US prior to the season start. The AFA forbade it's affiliated clubs from playing the Corinthians, but Newark F.C. did anyway and was suspended from the NAFL for the season. Bronx United F.C., a member of the New York State Amateur League, was kicked out of that organization after one of its players failed to appear for a match between the Corinthians and a NYSAL picked team. Bronx United replaced Newark in the NAFL and Newark moved to the AAFA-affiliated New York & District Amateur Association Football League.