Full name Oneida FC Exited 2013 | Nickname(s) OFC, Fire Dogs | |
Colours White
Crimson
Silver Founded 17 March 2011; 6 years ago (2011-03-17) Ground(s) Henry G. Steinbrenner '27 Stadium
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Cambridge, Massachusetts (600) | ||
Oneida FC (Oneida Football Club) was a football organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts that fielded rugby league and soccer teams. The rugby league team played in the USA Rugby League (USARL) from 2011 to 2012 before pausing their operations. They played their home games at Henry G. Steinbrenner '27 Stadium on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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Rugby League
The Oneida FC rugby league club was established in 2011 as a charter member of the newly-announced USA Rugby League, which was formed by teams that had left the established American National Rugby League (AMNRL). The team was named in honor of the Oneida Football Club, the first ever organized football team in the United States, which operated from 1862–1865. Together with the New Jersey Turnpike Titans and the Rhode Island Rebellion, they were one of three new teams to join the league.
The club operated under the leadership the USARL's other Boston-based team, the Boston Thirteens, but competed as a separate team. The establishment of Oneida FC put two USARL teams in Boston, and four in New England, an arrangement that lowered operating costs. The team struggled on the field in their inaugural season but found success in recruiting players from other sports.
Oneida finished the 2012 season in sixth place, missing the playoffs. They were initially announced to compete in 2013, but withdrew before the season, along with the New Haven Warriors.
Oneida FC played all home games at Henry G. Steinbrenner '27 Stadium at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Soccer
The organization also fielded an amateur soccer team under the Oneida FC banner in the Casa Soccer League of Boston, where they won the championship in 2011. They moved to the Bay State Soccer League (BSCL) in 2013 where they currently compete in Division 1. Their Reserve Side, competes in Division 3S of the BSCL.