Shawsheen Indians were an United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 soccer

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 club based in Andover, Massachusetts during the early 1920s.

History

The Shawsheen Football Club, known by its nickname The Indians, was founded by George Park and played in the New Bedford Industrial Soccer League in the early 1920s. In 1924, Park left the team and George Wallace, private secretary to William Wood

William Madison Wood

William M. Wood was a textile mill owner of Lawrence, Massachusetts who was considered to be an expert in efficiency. He made a good deal of his fortune through being hired by mill owners to turn around failing mills and was disliked by organized labor.- Early life :William Wood was born in 1858...

 owner of the American Woolen Company

American Woolen Company

The American Woolen Company was established in 1899 under the leadership of William M. Wood and his father-in-law Frederick Ayer through the consolidation of eight financially troubled New England woolen mills. At the company's height in the 1920s, it owned and operated 60 woolen mills across New...

, took over management of the team. He had a vision of taking the Indians to the top of the U.S. soccer world. To realize that dream, he convinced Mr. Wood to sponsor the team and fund the building of a state of the art soccer stadium, Balmoral Park. Wallace then recruited several Scottish league players to move to the United States. In 1924, the Indians entered the Massachusetts State Cup for the first time, easily disposing of the competition, including a 3-0 victory over the Holyoke Falcos

Holyoke Falcos

The Holyoke Falcos was an American soccer club based in Holyoke, Massachusetts that was member of the professional American Soccer League. The team was sponsored by Farr Alpaca, a local textile mill. The team was a founding member of the ASL, but withdrew at the end of the first...

 in the final. In the fall of 1924, Shawsheen entered a semi-professional New England league known as the National League. The Indians won the 1924-1925 league title. It also entered the 1925 National Challenge Cup

1925 National Challenge Cup

The 1924–25 National Challenge Cup was the annual open cup held by the United States Football Association now known as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.-History:...

, the first time the Indians had entered the Challenge Cup. Despite their novice status, they ran away with the championship, defeating the Chicago Canadian Club

Chicago Canadian Club

Chicago Canadian Club was a U.S. soccer team from the early twentieth century. In 1923, it played in the Chicago Major Soccer League. In 1925, it finished runner up to the Shawsheen Indians in the National Challenge Cup and in 1926, it was eliminated from the National Challenge Cup in the...

 3-0 in the April 14, 1925 final at Mark's Stadium

Mark's Stadium

Mark's Stadium is a former soccer stadium located in North Tiverton, Rhode Island. During the 1920s and early 1930s it was the home of Fall River Marksmen, one of the era’s most successful soccer teams. It is one of the earliest examples of a soccer-specific stadium in the United States...

. Wallace had attained his goal of taking his team to the top. The only step remaining was to turn fully professional and compete with the best teams in the region on a weekly basis. To do this, he entered the Indians in the professional American Soccer League

American Soccer League

The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...

 for the 1925-1926 season. Using a revamped lineup, including several players on loan from the Fall River Marksmen

Fall River Marksmen

Fall River Marksmen was a United States soccer club, based in Fall River, Massachusetts. They originally played as Fall River United before becoming known as the Marksmen after their owner, Sam Mark. During the 1920s and early 1930s they were one of the most successful soccer clubs in the United...

, the Indians began the season well. However, William Wood died early in the season and his successors ended the American Woolen Company's sponsorship of the Indians. Attendance alone was unable to pay for the team's expenses and it was forced into banckruptcy, withdrew from the ASL at the end of March 1926 and ceased operations.

Year-by-year

Year	Division	League	Reg. Season	Playoffs	National Challenge Cup
1923/24	N/A	Industrial League	?	No playoff	Did not enter
1924/25	2	National League	1st	No playoff	Did not enter
1925/26	1	ASL	10th	No playoff	Won

Honors

• National Challenge Cup
• Winners 1925: 1

• Massachusetts State Cup
• Winners 1924: 1