 St. Andrew's, winner of the match | |||||||
| Event | 1891 Primera División | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| on extra time | |||||||
| Date | 13 September 1891 | ||||||
| Venue | Flores Old Ground, Buenos Aires | ||||||
| Player of the Match | Charles Moffatt | ||||||
| Referee | J. Wilson | ||||||
The 1891 Argentine Primera División final was a match contested by St. Andrew's and Old Caledonians. Both teams had been declared champions of the 1891 Argentine Primera División[1][2][3] but the match was held only to determine which of them would be awareded a medal.[4]
The match was organized by the Argentine Association Football League whose president was F.L. Wooley. This league only lasted one season, so in 1892 no championship was held. In 1893 other Association with the same name would be established by Alexander Watson Hutton becoming current Argentine Football Association.[5]<[6][7]
St. Andrew's defeated Old Caledonians 3–0 in extra time with three goals by forward Charles Douglas Moffatt.[4]
Qualified teams
[edit]| Team | Previous finals app. |
|---|---|
| St. Andrew's | (none) |
| Old Caledonians | (none) |
Bold indicates winning years
Venue
[edit]
The match was held in Flores Old Ground (also known as "Old Polo Ground" or "Old Polo Field"[8] or "Flores Polo Ground"[9]), home venue of defunct Flores Athletic Club.
Located in the barrio of Caballito, Buenos Aires,[10] just behind the Buenos Aires Western Railway freight sheds,[11] it hosted several polo, rugby union, association football and cricket matches during the period Flores A.C. was active.[12]
Background
[edit]The 1891 season was the first edition of a Primera División league in Argentinam with six teams taking part of the competition.
At the end of the season, St. Andrew's (a sports club established by Scottish immigrants from the St. Andrew's Scots School, the oldest private school of Argentina.[13]) and Old Caledonians (also established by Scottish immigrants, in this case employees of British studio Bateman, Parsons & Bateman, hired to build the main drainage in the city of Buenos Aires.[14]) finished at the top position with 13 points each and identical records: both had won 6 matches, tied 1 and lost 1.[4]
Although Old Caledonians had a better goal difference (+21)[4] and despite their claims based on The Football Association rules,[15][16] both teams were declared champions after a decision taken in an AAFL meeting. The Association also obligued two teams to play a match to decide which team would be awarded medals.[17]
Due to serious financial problems, the AAFL decided to charge for admission to the match in order to balance its finances.[15]
Match
[edit]As the Association crowned both, St. Andrew's and Old Caledonians as champion, this match was held only to determine which team got to keep the medals.
| St. Andrew's | 3–1 (a.e.t.) | Old Caledonians |
|---|---|---|
Moffatt  |
Report | E. Wilson |
        St. Andrew's
|
 Old Caledonians
|
|
|
Aftermath
[edit]
During an interview in 1934, striker Charles Douglas Moffatt stated Old Caledonians was the best team of all that participated in the tournament, also saying that St. Andrew's had won the championship "by chance". Moffatt also praised Old Caledonians' Scottish forward Jack Sutherland, highlighting his dribbling and skills with the ball.[16]
I had played every game except the last one of the championship, due to a sprained right ankle. So I returned to the playoffs, but was unable to shoot from distance. I managed to score the goal by taking advantage of a scramble in front of the Caledonians goal. The ball came towards me, and all I had to do was flick it over the line (with the inside of my foot), and we won our first tournament. Only a few English attended the match... then, people was not even aware about the existence of the game
— Charles Moffatt about the match and the legacy of the 1891 championship, in an interview with Félix Frascara published on El Gráfico, 1934
The Argentine Football Association had not included this title in its previous annual reports[18] so the body was established in 1893 and did not organise the championship. Nevertheless, on AFA's official website only St. Andrew's is mentioned as 1891 champion.[19]
References
[edit]- ^ 38 campeones de futbol argentino 1891-2010 by Diego Estévez. Ediciones Continente, Buenos Aires, 2010. ISBN 9789507543012
- ^ Historia del fútbol de AFA orígenes 1891 -1899 by Carlos Yametti. CIHF
- ^ Solo cinco equipos y dos campeones: así fue el primer torneo del fútbol argentino on TyC. 12 Apr 2024
- ^ a b c d Argentina 1891 by Osvaldo Gorgazzi at RSSSF.com
- ^ "Orígenes de la Asociación" on AFA website
- ^ Alexander Watson Hutton, el padre del fútbol argentino: el impulso de Domingo Sarmiento y la fundación de la AFA on TyC, 10 Mar 2023
- ^ Historia del Fútbol Amateur en la Argentina, by Jorge Iwanczuk - ISBN 950-43-4384-8
- ^ The Standard, British language newspaper edited in Buenos Aires, 1892
- ^ Historia cronológica de la ciudad de Buenos Aires 1536-2014 by Leonel Contreras, Editorial Dunken, Buenos Aires, 2014 - ISBN 978-987-02-7306-6
- ^ Historia del Fútbol Amateur en la Argentina, by Jorge Iwanczuk. Published by Autores Editores (1992) – ISBN 9504343848
- ^ El día que los ferroviarios se llevaron las medallas, Página/12, 18 Oct 2010
- ^ Historia del Flores Athletic Club, 12 Jun 2013
- ^ A 125 años del primer torneo: un legado que perdura by Oscar Barnade, Clarín, 13 Apr 2016
- ^ La primera fecha! by Jorge Gallego on CIHF, 16 Apr 2016
- ^ a b En 1891 en Buenos Aires se realizó el histórico 1er. campeonato oficial organizado por la Argentine Association Football by Atilio Garrido on AHIFU (Uruguayan football researchers). 4 Apr 2025
- ^ a b Charles Moffatt, primer campeón de fútbol on El Gráfico. 30 Jan 2019 (original interview published in 1934)
- ^ El desempate de 1891 by Jorge Gallego on the CIHF
- ^ Memoria y Balance 1936, p. 28 on Biblioteca AFA
- ^ Campeones de Primera División on AFA website, retrieved 1 Aug 2025
