This article lists the possible starting seasons for amateur/independent teams playing the kicking game/ association football (now soccer) in America. It does not contain any carrying game/early rugby teams or any ball-possession/collegiate game teams (now football). Many forms of the kicking games were used to forward the ball to the goal line until American teams began to use the consolidated London 1863 Football Association rules after the Civil War. The kicking games then became known as the association game of football. Around 1905, American newspapers began to call this game soccer.
Each season begins August 1 and ends July 31. Only teams with scheduled or possible games are included.
VARIATIONS OF THE KICKING GAME
1843-44:
East Boston Mr. Dearing’s Team (MA)
Mid-1840s:
St George Cricket FBC (NY)
Exeter Town Team (NH)
1854-55:
St George FBC (NJ)
1857-58:
Baltimorans FBC (MD)
Boston Cork Spinners (MA)
Taunton Northside Main Streets (MA)
Taunton Southside Main Streets (MA)
1858-59:
Baltimore Young Americans (MD)
Hartford Town Team (CT)
New Britain Boys (CT)
St Louis Foot-Ball Club (MO)
1859-60:
Baltimore Cottage FBC (MD)
Baltimore Mt. Vernon FBC (MD)
Brooklyn Clover Hill FBC (NY)
Jefferson FBC (LA)
1860-61:
East Baltimore Hurling & FBC (MD)
1861-62-1865-66 NO DATA; CIVIL WAR
ASSOCIATION GAME OF FOOTBALL
1866-67:
Waukesha Town Club (WI)
1867-68:
New Orleans St Josephs Ass’n (LA)
West Jordan Lower Branch Ward (UT)
West Jordan Middle Branch Ward (UT)
1868-69:
New York Marrieds & Singles (NY)
1869-70:
Germantown Cricket FBC (PA)
New Orleans Lone Star Baseball FBC (LA)
New Orleans Robert E. Lee Baseball FBC (LA)
Philadelphia Irish Nationalists (PA)
Young American Cricket FBC (PA)
1870-71:
Cincinnati Benedicts (OH)
Elyria Town Team (OH)
Empire City Club (NY)
Jersey City Club (NJ)
New Orleans Hibernians (LA)
New York Irish Nationalists (NY)
1871-72:
Dover Firebrick Makers (OH)
New York AC (NY)
Sandyville Fireclay Miners (OH)
1872-73:
Brainerd Men & Boys (MN)
Iowa City Town Team (IA)
Portland Hibernians (OR)
1873-74:
Alcyone & Columbia Boat Clubs (NY)
Ann Arbor Town Team (MI)
Charlottesville English Team (VA)
Chicago American Twelve (IL)
Chicago FB Ass’n (IL)
Chicago Irish Twelve (IL)
Galveston Team (TX)
Louisiana FBC (LA)
Lynn FBC (MA)
National Amateurs AA (NY)
New Jersey AA (NJ)
New York Caledonians (NY)
Salem Town Team (MA)
San Francisco Team (CA)
Wilmington Knights of the Red Branch (DE)
1874-75:
Boise City Owyhees (ID)
Burlington North Hill FBC (VT)
Burlington South Hill FBC (VT)
Middletown Town Team (CT)
Richmond Caledonians (VA)
Richmond Hibernians (VA)
Rushville Huskies (IN)
Rushville Taters (IN)
St Louis Lawyers (MO)
1875-76:
Coventry Droege Foundry (KY)
Coventry Hell-in-Towners (KY)
George J. Hardy Big & Little Men (NY)
Indiana Town Team (PA)
1876-77:
Brooklyn Nameless FBC (NY)
Hartford North Scotlands (CT)
Hartford South Scotlands (CT)
Huntingdon FBC (PA)
Indiana Ass’n FB (PA)
New Orleans American (LA)
New Orleans Englishmen (LA)
Oakland Golden Gate Club (CA)
St Albans Town Team (VT)
San Francisco California FBC (CA)
1877-78:
Bedford Team (IA)
Chester Town Team (PA)
Cincinnati Lockland Club (OH)
Cincinnati Wyoming Club (OH)
Columbus Jolly Band (GA)
Hoboken Union Club (NJ)
Jersey City Liberties (NJ)
Muskingum Farmers Club (OH)
Rankin House Negroes (GA)
Trenton Independents Team (NJ)
Trenton International Team (NJ)
1878-79:
Acanthus Boat Club (DC)
Analostan Boat Club (DC)
Holyoke Team (MA)
Irvington Team (IN)
Reno Town Team (NV)
Springfield Team (MA)
Westfield Accountants & Clerks (MA)
1879-80:
Bostonians Ass’n (MA)
Boston Irish FBC (MA)
Brooklynites Ass’n (NY)
Castor Oil Twenty (PA)
Cincinnati Team (OH)
Gonzales Team (TX)
Martins Ferry Young Men’s Reading Club (OH)
Milwaukee First Ward (WI)
Niagara Ass’n FBC (NY)
San Antonio Club (TX)
Worcester Father Matthews Team (MA)
1880-81:
Chester Cricket FBC (PA)
Colorado City FBC (CO)
Denver FBC (CO)
East New York AC (NY)
Omaha FBC (NE)
Paterson Caledonian Thistles (NJ)
Portland Cricket & FBC (OR)
Worcester Trumball Square (MA)
1881-82:
Atchison Team (KS)
Atlanta Mulligan Guard (GA)
Bedford Dallion Team (IA) (VT)
Bellevue British Team (VA)
Cuyahoga County Veteran Soldiers & Sailors (OH)
Heitcamp AC (NY)
New York Emmett Club (NY)
New York Shamrock Club (NY)
Providence FBC (RI)
St Josephs Cricket Club (MO)
St Louis Hibernians (MO)
South Providence English “Blues” & “Reds” (RI)
Winooski Marrieds & Singles (VT)
Worcester Emmett Guards (MA)
Worcester Hibernians (MA)
1882-83:
Elgin Dial Room Club (IA)
Fall River East Ends (MA)
Fall River Old Roads (MA)
Fall River North Ends (MA)
Fitchburg Atheringtons (MA)
Freeport FBC (IL)
Macon Merchants Team (GA)
Milton Armstrong Team (WI)
St Louis Thistles (MO)
West Fitchburg Highbickingtons (MA)
1883-84:
Ashton FBC (RI)
Bellows Falls (VT)
Bellows Fall Red Stars (VT)
Braytonville Ass’n (MA)
Colorado Springs Club (CO)
East St Louis Eclipse (IL)
Fall River Bowenville Globes (MA)
Fall River County St. Rovers (MA)
Fall River Flint Mills (MA)
Kearney Clarks ONT (NJ)
Kearney Rangers (NJ)
Newark Almas (NJ)
Newark Domestics Baseball AC (NJ)
Newark Hamilton Baseball AC (NJ)
New Orleans FBC (LA)
New York Ass’n FB (NY)
North Adams Blackinton Druids (MA)
Pueblo FBC (CO)
St Louis AC (MO)
St Louis Irish Americans (MO)
St Louis Olympics (MO)
St Louis Shamrocks (MO)
Springfield Alphas (VT)
Springfield Americans (MA)
Trenton Delaware Fire Co. (NJ)
Walpole Ass’n (NH)
Worcester Policemen Ass’n (MA)
1884-85:
Atlanta Hyenas (GA)
Border City Ass’n FB (RI)
Butte Rink FB Team (MT)
Chicopee Fall Ames (MA)
Chicopee Falls Dwights (MA)
Duluth FBC (MN)
Fall River Barnaby Mills (MA)
Fall River Canonicuts (MA)
Fall River King Phillips (MA)
Fall River Lindsay St. Rovers (MA)
Fall River Main Streets (MA)
Fall River Mechanics (MA)
Fall River Merry Boys (MA)
Fall River Osbornes (MA)
Fall River Parks (MA)
Fall River St Patricks (MA)
Galveston Sinclair Polo FB Club (TX)
Houston Rink FBC (TX)
Jersey City Wayne AC (NJ)
Logansport Clippers (IN)
Logansport Northsides (IN)
Logansport Ninth Streets (IN)
Malden FBC (MA)
Malden Polo FB Club (MA)
Narragansetts Ass’n FB (RI)
Newark Tiffany Rovers (NJ)
New Bedford Ass’n (MA)
New Orleans Bernards (LA)
New Orleans Hunters (LA)
New Orleans Gunslingers (LA)
New York Thistles (NY)
North Brookfield Polo FB Club (MA)
Olean Clippers (NY)
Olean Excelsiors (NY)
Providence Wanderers (RI)
St Albans Clerks (VT)
St Louis Jacksons (MO)
St Louis Westerns (MO)
Springfield Polo FB Club (MA)
Syracuse First Ward Social Club (NY)
Trenton Eagle Potters (NJ)
Trenton Knights of Labor (NJ)
Westfield Team (MA)
Wheeling Capital Club (WV)
Wheeling Island Club (WV)
Worcester Electrical Club (MA)
Worcester Polo FB Club (MA)
1885-86:
Aledo Team (IA)
Antrim Ass’n FB (PA)
Ashton Ass’n (RI)
Ashton Rovers (RI)
Bean Hill Rangers (RI)
Berkeley Ass’n (RI)
Brooklyn Acteons (NY)
Brooklyn D. P. Fogartys (NY)
Brooklyn (Longfellows) LOGs (NY)
Brooklyn Nassaus (NY)
Chicago Mackinac & St Paul Railroad AA (IL)
Chicopee Falls Actives (MA)
Davenport Hibernians (IA)
Decatur YMCA (IL)
Duluth Cricket FB Club (MN)
East Liverpool Team (OH)
Fall River Chace St. Rovers (MA)
Fall River Rangers (MA)
Independence Town Team (IA)
Lake Superior Union Jacks (MN)
Las Vegas Blues & Whites (NM)
Laurel River Ass’n (RI)
Lincoln Rovers (RI)
Logansport Nips & Tucks (IN)
Lonsdale Ass’n (RI)
Marion Town Boys (IA)
Morris Run Ass’n FB (PA)
Newark Arcadians (NJ)
Newark Canadian Rovers (NJ)
Newark Cricket Ass’n FB (NJ)
New York Actives (NY)
New York Continentals (NY)
New York Dauntless (NY)
New York Gentlemen (NY)
New York Pilgrims (NY)
New York Riversides (NY)
New York Westside Rovers (NY)
Olneyville Thorntons (RI)
Palmyra Unions (NY)
Paterson Thistles (NJ)
Pawtucket Free Wanderers (RI)
Pawtucket Lorraines (RI)
Philadelphia Ass’n (PA)
Providence Ass’n (RI)
Providence Courant Free Ramblers (RI)
River Point Vale of Clyde Ass’n (RI)
Santa Fe Railroad Shops (KS)
Saylesville Dye House (RI)
South Providence Ass’n (RI)
Springfield Reserves (MA)
Trenton Ass’n (NJ)
Trenton Hand-In-Hands (NJ)
Trenton Harmony Fire Co. (NJ)
Trenton Grocut Ass’n (NJ)
Trenton Mart Ass’n (NJ)
Wheeling Team (WV)
Williamsburg Arcadians (NY)
Williamsburg Oxfords (NY)
Worcester Cricket & FBC (MA)
1886-87:
Ashton Hornets (RI)
Ansonia Ass’n (CT)
Buffalo Ass’n (NY)
Chicago Amateur Ass’n (IL)
Chicago Englishmen (IL)
Chicago Irishmen (IL)
Chicago Northwesterns (IL)
Chicago Wanderers (IL)
Danbury Caledonians (CT)
Fall River Allarounds (MA)
Fall River Chelseas (MA)
Fall River Harrisons (MA)
Fall River McLaughlins (MA)
Fall River Pilgrims (MA)
Fall River Pleasant St. Rovers (MA)
Fall River Pleasant Views (MA)
Fall River Shrove Wanderers (MA)
Fall River Tower St. Rangers (MA)
Fall River Tremonts (MA)
Fall River Wamsuttas (MA)
Fall River Weetamoes (MA)
Galveston FBC (TX)
Kansas City YMCA (MO)
Lawrence Ass’n (MA)
Missouri Amateur AC (MO)
Newark Caledonians (NJ)
Newark Young Canadians (NJ)
New Bedford North Ends (MA)
Niagara Falls Rangers (NY)
North Grafton Ass’n (MA)
Oak Grove Gramblers (MA)
Olneyville Olympics (RI)
Nyack Norwood FBC (NY)
Paterson Thistles/Almas (NJ)
Pawtucket Dexter St. Rovers (RI)
Pawtucket Laurel Hills (RI)
Pawtucket Leurys (RI)
River Point Clydes (RI)
St Louis Clan-NA-Gaels (MO)
St Louis Emeralds (MO)
Saylesville Glenirons (RI)
South Providence Villas (RI)
South Worcester Ass’n (MA)
Springfield Gymnasium (MA)
Springfield YMCA Outing Club (MA)
Staten Island Cricket Ass’n FB (NY)
Thornton British Hosieries (RI)
Thornton Worsted Mills (RI)
Titusville Alerts (PA)
Titusville Town Team (PA)
Trenton Cricketeers (RI)
Ventura Team (CA)
Wampanaog Mills (RI)
Wheeling Arion Society (WV)
Woodlawn Rovers (RI)
Worcester City Cricket & FBC (MA)
Worcester Crescents (MA)
Worcester Knights of Father Matthews (MA)
Worcester St Anne’s Guard (MA)
Worcester Sons of St George (MA)
Worcester Temperance Society (MA)