Vancouver Royals facts for kids
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| Full name | Vancouver Royal Canadians | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Royals | ||
| Founded | 1967 | ||
| Dissolved | 1968 | ||
| Stadium | Empire Stadium | ||
| Stadium capacity |
32,729 | ||
| Owners | Brig. General E.G. Eakins, George Fleharty |
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| League | North American Soccer League | ||
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The Vancouver Royals were a professional soccer team. They were based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The team started in 1967 as the Vancouver Royal Canadians. They were one of the first teams in the United Soccer Association (USA).
In 1968, the USA league joined with another league. This new league was called the North American Soccer League (NASL). The team changed its name to the Royals and joined the NASL. The Royals played their home games at Empire Stadium. The team stopped playing after the 1968 NASL season.
Team History
In 1966, many people wanted to start a professional soccer league in the United States. One group, called the United Soccer Association (USA), chose 12 cities for teams. Vancouver was one of these cities. Brigadier General E.G. Eakins bought the Vancouver team.
The USA league planned to start playing in 1968. But another league, the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL), was ready to start in 1967. The NPSL even had a TV deal. So, the USA league decided to start early too.
Since the USA league didn't have time to sign many players, they brought in teams from other countries. These teams played as the USA league's new clubs. The English team Sunderland A.F.C. came to play as the Vancouver Royal Canadians.
The Royals played their first game on May 28, 1967. They lost 6–1 to the San Francisco Golden Gate Gales. But they won their first home game 4–1 against the Dallas Tornado on June 7. The Royals finished the 1967 season in fifth place. They won 3 games, tied 5, and lost 4. About 7,019 fans came to watch their home games on average.
After the 1967 season, the USA league joined with the National Professional Soccer League. This created the new North American Soccer League. To make the new league stronger, some teams combined. George Fleharty, who owned the San Francisco Golden Gate Gales, bought a big part of the Vancouver Royal Canadians. He then renamed the team the Vancouver Royals.
Ferenc Puskás became the head coach for the Vancouver Royals. He had been hired to coach the San Francisco team before the merger. The Royals finished the 1968 NASL season in last place in their division. They won 12 games, tied 5, and lost 15. About 6,197 fans came to their home games that year. The Vancouver Royals were one of 12 teams that stopped playing after the 1968 season.
Coaches of the Team
Ian McColl (1967)
Ferenc Puskás, Head Coach (1968)- Joe Csabai, Assistant Coach (1968)
Season Results
This table shows how the Vancouver Royals did each year they played.
| League season |
Team season |
Regular season | Position | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | Top Scorer | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | P | W | L | D | GF | GA | Pts | Div. | Overall | Player | Goals | |||||
| 1967 | 1967 | USA | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 20 | 28 | 11 | 5th | 9th | Did not qualify | — | George Herd |
3 | |
| 1968 | 1968 | NASL | 32 | 12 | 15 | 5 | 51 | 60 | 136 | 4th | 13th | Did not qualify | — |  Henry Klein |
20 | |
See also
- 1967 Vancouver Royal Canadians season
- 1968 Vancouver Royals season
- Vancouver Whitecaps
