Soccer began in Garson in the early 1900's when teams from Copper Cliff, Sudbury, North Bay, and Creighton would compete with Garson in informal competitions throughout the summer. In those days, soccer was known as football, largely because of the many immigrants from the British Isles who introduced the sport to the area and helped to make it popular.

In 1907, John Anderson of Copper Cliff introduced the Anderson Cup to the impromptu league. The silver cup went on to serve as the championship trophy for the Sudbury District Football Association, of which Garson was a member. In order for a team to keep the trophy, they had to win it three times in a row.

By 1911, the first district league was officially formed and contained teams from Sudbury, Garson, Copper Cliff, and Espanola. Sudbury won the championship. In the following year, Garson competed against Sudbury for the district title and won. However, Sudbury neglected to bring the Anderson Cup with them to the competition and league officials were forced to substitute a tin drinking cup for the trophy.

During the heyday of soccer, mining companies decided to get involved in the creation of sports teams and INCO and Falconbridge Nickel Mines began to lure talented players from southern cities to the area with the promise of employment. Athletes who worked at the local mine were encouraged to become members of the Garson Mine Athletic Association. For these mining companies, sports competitions were a serious matter because they provided at least one opportunity to best their competitors.

The Garson Mine team would compete with other mining teams throughout their district and would occasionally partake in exhibition games in Kirkland Lake and Sault Ste. Marie. At each game, a collection was taken up from the spectators to help provide players with equipment and other necessities.

After World War I ended, nickel demand slowed down considerably as demand for the product leveled off. This meant that many players who had come to the area to work at the mine were now leaving in search of employment opportunities elsewhere. This event cause a detrimental effect on the league and by 1923, competitive soccer had all but disappeared.

• On the Rebound