Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League

Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League

Founded	1961
Country	Canada
Confederation	CONCACAF
Number of clubs	High of 6, Low of 4

The Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League was a soccer league in Canada. The league operated for six seasons from 1961 to 1966 across four cities in two Canadian provinces and one American state. In the 1960s, the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League was one of four major leagues in Canadian soccer alongside the Pacific Coast League, the Western Canada Soccer League, and the National Soccer League of Ontario/Quebec.

The league typically operated from May to September, which allowed European-based players to sign for the summer season in Canada. In the first year, stars like Danny Blanchflower, Stanley Matthews and Johnny Haynes all joined the new league for the 1961 summer season, then returned to England for the 1961-62 season.

1961 Season

The 1961 season featured a 48-match schedule from 14 May to 20 September, with all four teams playing 24 matches each. Matches were played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto, Civic Centre in Hamilton, and Stade Delorimier in Montréal. Hamilton Steelers won the league's opening match 2-1, although it was Montréal Cantalia's Ismael Ferreyra who scored the league's first goal in the 14 May opener. An all-star match was played on 4 September featuring stars from Toronto's two teams against stars from Hamilton-Montréal. The regular season was then followed by two rounds of playoffs from 21 September to 9 October.

1962 Season

The 1962 season featured a 60-match schedule from 5 May to 9 August, with five teams playing 24 matches each in Toronto, Hamilton, and Buffalo. Montréal Cantalia were dropped from the league, while Toronto Roma and Buffalo White Eagles were both added. The regular season was followed by two rounds of playoffs from 12 to 18 August (one match per series).

1963 Season

The 1963 season featured a 74-match schedule from 5 May to 1 September, with six teams playing up to 25 matches each in Toronto, Hamilton, and Montréal. Montréal Cantalia rejoined the league, Ukraina Montréal were added, while Buffalo dropped out. The regular season was followed by two rounds of playoffs from 4 to 18 September.

1964 Season

The 1964 season featured a 60-match schedule from 3 May to 26 August, with five teams playing up to 24 matches each in Toronto, Hamilton, and Montréal. Ukraina Montréal dropped out while Cantalia were replaced by Montréal Italica. The regular season was followed by two rounds of playoffs from 29 August to 13 September.

1965 Season

The 1965 season featured a 60-match schedule from 5 May to 5 September, with five teams playing 24 matches each in Toronto, Hamilton, and Montréal. The regular season was followed by two rounds of playoffs from 8 to 22 September.

1966 Season

The 1966 season featured a 48-match schedule from 8 May to 28 August, with four teams playing 24 matches each in Toronto, Hamilton, and Montréal. The regular season was followed by two rounds of playoffs from 31 August to 7 September (one match per series).

Teams from 1961 to 1966

• Buffalo White Eagles (1962)
• Hamilton Steelers (1961-1964) / Primo Hamilton FC (1965-1966)
• Montréal Cantalia FC (1961, 1963)
• Montréal Italica (1964-1965) / Inter Italica (1966)
• Ukraina Montréal (1963)
• Toronto City FC (1961-1965)
• Toronto Roma FC (1962-1964 / Inter-Roma (1965-1966)
• Toronto Italia FC (1961-1964) / Italia Falcons (1965-66)

External links

• Canada Soccer Records & Results

Category:Sports leagues in Ontario Category:Sports leagues in Quebec Category:1961 establishments in Ontario Category:1961 establishments in Quebec Category:Soccer in Ontario Category:Soccer in Quebec 4