Jacksonville Tea Men
 |
|
| Full name | Jacksonville Tea Men |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 |
| Dissolved | 1984 |
| Stadium |
Gator Bowl Stadium, Jacksonville Coliseum (indoor) |
| Capacity | 70,000 |
| Coach | Noel Cantwell |
| League |
NASL (1980–1982) American Soccer League(1983–1984) United Soccer League (1984) |
The Jacksonville Tea Men were a soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. Overall, the Tea Men played a total of four seasons in Jacksonville, first in the major league-level North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1980–1982, then in the lower level American Soccer League and United Soccer League from 1982–1984. The NASL incarnation of the club was Jacksonville's first professional soccer team, and the first major league-level sport franchise ever based in the city.
The team originated as the New England Tea Men, based in Foxborough, Massachusetts, retaining their Boston Tea Party-themed name after moving to Jacksonville. They played both outdoor and indoor soccer, with the Gator Bowl Stadium and the Jacksonville Coliseum serving as their home fields. Though they performed well on the field in their first year, they were ultimately unable to overcome the financial difficulties that had plagued them since New England, and were disbanded by the NASL after the 1981–1982 season. A new owner brought the Tea Men into the minor league-level American Soccer League the next season, where they won the 1983 ASL Championship. They moved into the new United Soccer League in 1983, but financial pressures caused the team to fold after the end of the season.
The team originated as the New England Tea Men, who joined the North American Soccer League (NASL) as an expansion team for the 1978–1979 season. Their owner was the tea company Lipton, who gave the team its unusual name in reference to the Boston Tea Party. In their first season the Tea Men had a contract to play at Foxboro Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, home of the New England Patriots National Football League (NFL) team. The team made the league playoffs and sold well in their first season, but were forced out of their stadium the next year, and sales declined precipitously. They were able to return to Foxboro 1980, but under a new, restrictive lease that forced them to play many games at off times. Ticket sales plummeted even further, and Lipton decided to relocate the team to Jacksonville, Florida.
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