The NAFBL was formed in January 1895 and in March 1895, the NAFBL began operation as the third significant U.S. soccer league. It drew its teams primarily from northern
New Jersey and
New York City. After its first spring-summer season in 1895, the NAFBL moved to a winter schedule in the fall of 1895. On December 16, 1895, the NAFBL opened its second season with a game pitting the
Kearny Scottish-Americans and the International Athletic Club. In 1899, a deep recession, accompanied by the
Spanish–American War led to the collapse of several athletic leagues and teams, among them the NAFBL. On August 14, 1906, the league was revived and continued in operation until 1921. That year, several of the top NAFBL teams, frustrated by the amateur/semi-professional nature of the league, joined with other top North Atlantic U.S. teams to form the first fully professional U.S. soccer league, the
American Soccer League. ==1895–1899==