Edmonton Drillers (1979–1982)
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| Full name | Edmonton Drillers |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1979 |
| Dissolved | 1982 |
| Stadium |
Commonwealth Stadium (42,500) indoor: Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton Gardens (5,100) |
| Chairman | Joe Patrone |
| Manager |
Hans Kraay, Timo Liekoski, Joe Patrone |
| League | North American Soccer League |
The Edmonton Drillers were a North American Soccer League team that played both outdoors and indoors from 1979 to 1982, at the peak of the league's success. The team was brought to Edmonton by local entrepreneur and Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, after witnessing the strong support for Brian Rice's Edmonton Black Gold team in 1978. Previous to playing in Edmonton, the team was known as the Oakland Stompers, Hartford Bicentennials and Connecticut Bicentennials.
Joe Petrone was the Drillers general manager for their entire existence. The Drillers were coached in 1979 and 1980 by Hans Kraay, who brought a number of players with him from the Netherlands. After Kraay, Timo Liekoski took over as coach in 1981, while Patrone would serve as the team's final caretaker coach until the team folded at the end of the 1982 season.
During the outdoor season, the Drillers played their home games at Commonwealth Stadium, but dwindling crowds during the final year saw the team move to much older and smaller Clarke Stadium, which led to even fewer fans attending the games. The Drillers played their two seasons of indoor soccer at Northlands Coliseum and also at Edmonton Gardens. The outdoor team was characterized by a strong defensive style of play, but their indoor style was built upon a run-and-go style of attack. Attendance for the outdoor games ranged greatly from 10,000 in the early stages of the franchise to 4,000 per game in 1982. By comparison, the more successful and profitable indoor games had attendances ranging between 5,000 and 7,000 paying fans per game in 1981 and 1982.
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