California Surf

Did You Know?

• Midway through the 1980 season, it was reported that the Surf had been inflating their attendance totals.
• The team was rumored to have lost nearly $7.5 million after the 1980 outdoor season.
• The Surf were one of five teams that failed to post the required $150,000 bond to participate in the 1981–82 NASL Indoor season, confirming the team had folded.

History

The California Surf began as the St. Louis Stars, a founding member of the National Professional Soccer League in 1967. When the NPSL merged with the United Soccer Association to create the North American Soccer League, the Stars joined and played ten more seasons. After the 1977 campaign, team president Ted Martin said the club needed to relocate unless it found a suitable stadium. Francis Field at Washington University, its home for the previous three years, had become too small for larger crowds, and Busch Memorial Stadium was blocked by scheduling conflicts with the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.

In late September 1977, general manager Case Frankiewiez announced the team would leave St. Louis, with Anaheim, California, and Columbus, Ohio as possible new homes. The NASL approved the move on October 7, 1977, pending a lease at Anaheim Stadium. Two months later, the name Surf was selected from 350 public suggestions.

The Surf began their 1978 NASL season with a 1-0 home win over the Portland Timbers on April 1, 1978. They finished second in the American Conference’s Western Division with 13 wins and 17 losses, then lost to the San Diego Sockers in the first playoff round. After a 4-4 start to the 1979 season, head coach John Sewell, who had led the team in St. Louis, was dismissed and replaced by Peter Wall. The Surf ended the regular season with 15 wins and 15 losses, tying San Diego for first place in their division on points but losing the title on goal differential.

For the second straight year, they were eliminated by San Diego in the first playoff round. The club reported an average attendance of 10,330 for 1979, though midway through the following season it was revealed that the Surf had been inflating those numbers. In September 1979, the Surf were named one of ten teams for the 1979-80 NASL Indoor season. During the league’s first full indoor campaign, the Surf went 4-8 and missed the playoffs.