The Jacksonville Tea Men were an American 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 standard 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.
Read more about Jacksonville Tea Men: History
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