1970 National Soccer League season
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- Toronto Croatia (regular season, 1st title)
- Hamilton Croatia (playoffs, 1st title)
| Season | 1970 |
|---|---|
| Champions |
|
| League cup | Toronto First Portuguese |
| Top goalscorer | Nino Flamini (25)[1] |
← 1969 1971 → | |
The 1970 National Soccer League season was the forty-seventh season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began in late April and concluded in early November with the NSL Championship final. The regular-season title was clinched by Toronto Croatia by finishing first throughout the regular season.[2][3] In the playoffs, the championship title was won by Hamilton Croatia after defeating Toronto Croatia.[4] The NSL Cup was secured by Toronto First Portuguese after defeating Toronto Hellas.[5][6]
Before the commencement of the season, a dispute emerged between the National Soccer League (NSL) and the Ontario Soccer Association (OSA) over a variety of issues during the OSA's annual meeting.[7] At the meeting, the NSL's delegation requested that the league receive more representatives in future OSA meetings and a percentage of the gate earnings from friendly matches involving touring European teams.[7] All of the NSL's requests were denied, and in addition, the league was required to recruit match officials from the local Referees Society.[7] The league's circuit became centered around a Montreal–London corridor with the league expanding to the Ottawa region for the first time in its history.[8]
The Ottawa franchise was given to Ottawa Sons of Italy, who were the 1969 champions of the Ottawa-Rideau Soccer League.[9][10] Hamilton received further representation with the acceptance of Hamilton Apollos and Hamilton Croatia.[8] Hamilton Croatia previously competed in the Inter-City Soccer League.[11] The NSL retained its presence in Quebec with the Portuguese de Quebec of Montreal replacing Montreal Inter-Italia.[8] Two notable absentees were Toronto Italia and Sudbury Italia, as both were given a leave of absence to settle their financial troubles.[8][12] Another departing club was Arsenal Portuguese Oakville.
Reports were also circulating of a potential national Canadian championship featuring champions from the NSL and the Western Canada Soccer League.[12] The NSL began to experience an increase in match attendance since its initial decrease and stagnation in the mid-1960s.[13][4] The Toronto-based teams at Stanley Park averaged the highest amount, with an average of 1000 per match, followed by London, which averaged around 680 spectators.[4]
Teams
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Croatia (C) | 26 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 75 | 19 | +56 | 43 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 2 | Hamilton Croatia (O) | 26 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 67 | 24 | +43 | 40 | |
| 3 | Serbian White Eagles | 26 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 60 | 26 | +34 | 39 | |
| 4 | Toronto First Portuguese | 26 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 56 | 37 | +19 | 34 | |
| 5 | London German Canadians | 26 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 55 | 29 | +26 | 32 | |
| 6 | Toronto Hellas | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 49 | 36 | +13 | 31 | |
| 7 | Hamilton Homer | 26 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 48 | 36 | +12 | 31 | |
| 8 | Ottawa Sons of Italy | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 39 | 49 | −10 | 24 | |
| 9 | Toronto Hungaria | 26 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 42 | 43 | −1 | 22 | |
| 10 | Soccer Portugais du Quebec of Montreal | 26 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 23 | 45 | −22 | 19 | |
| 11 | Toronto Ukrainians | 26 | 7 | 3 | 16 | 34 | 51 | −17 | 17 | |
| 12 | Hamilton Apollos | 26 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 25 | 57 | −32 | 16 | |
| 13 | Kitchener Kickers | 26 | 5 | 3 | 18 | 31 | 84 | −53 | 13 | |
| 14 | Toronto Olympia | 26 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 23 | 91 | −68 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners
