One of the most highly regarded amateur soccer teams in New England during the late 1920s and early 1930s were the Black Cats of New Bedford. The team’s entire roster was made up of second generation Americans in their early twenties. The players were sons and grandsons of whalers and sailors from Poland, England, Portugal and France. Almost all of the players worked in the New Bedford textile mills.

The Black Cats took part in the 1930 National Amateur Cup but were knocked out prior to the semifinals by the Raffles team of Fall River. The next fall the Black Cats focused solely on the 1931 National Amateur Cup. The competition began in November of 1930 when 73 teams entered the knockout competition. The Black Cats beat Jackson Motors F.C. of Fall River and Tessier’s Chevrolet F.C. in their first two NAC matches. On January 18, 1931, the Black Cats traveled to Lynn where they beat Riverside F.C. 2-1 before 1500 at General Electric Field.