CHATHAM CUP FIASCO

' National Trophy A Glaring Failure > .

: . (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.) The New Zealand Football Association is blessed — or cursed— with a greater number of trophics — and handsome trophics — than any other sporting body m New Zealand; but it cannot be said that the authorities are making the most of them.

•TAKE for Instance the Chatham Cup, I that costly and beautiful sample of the silversmith's art which is supposed to denote the blue riband of club Soccer m New Zealand. This is now a valueless trophy from which has been stolen all the significance it ever possessed and simply because the governing body has been unable to make suitable conditions for the conduct of the competition. r The Chatham Cup, given to the as- > sociation with the most praiseworthy 1 motives by officers and men of the ' man-o'-war of that name, has been the vehicle to bankruptcy of more than one J club m this country. , And the reason for this is the I extortionate share of the gate rei ceipts prescribed for the associa- : tions and the niggardly share which comes the way of the clubs. The competition is run on the lines [ of the national cups at Home; that is [ to say, there' are local eliminating rounds before the district semi-finals, after which the winners of the North Island meet the winners of the South Island m the final at Wellington. In the eliminating rounds affiliated L controlling associations take 75 per L cent, of the gates and the remaining > 25 per cent, is divided amongst the ! competing clubs. . AN INSTANCE In the district matches, such as j South Auckland's winning club versus , the Auckland city premiers o^ Auck- . land v. Wellington, when travelling has r to be done by one club at least, the 3 clubs .get a miserly ft) per cent, of the . gates, the two associations grabbing I 45 per cent, between them. As the competition progresses the t teams have naturally greater travelling to do and their expenses become i heavier but, ridiculous as it may seem, their return from the ties 'grows less i arid less. In the semi-finals and finals the 3 N.Z.F.A. takes 50 per cent, of the gate, r 20 per cent, goes to each controlling i F body, and each club gets a handsome 5 i per cent. c Here is a position- which has hap--1 pened. Seacliff (Otago) and an Auckland club, Harbor Board, now defunct,, metiin the final at Wellington three sea»ns ago. \ Wnat is the interest of Wellington'

as much as Milligan's goat m the eclipse of the sun. Something like £84 was the official return of the takings at the final tie three seasons ago. ! Of this- the N.Z.F.A. got £42. The two affiliated associations had £33 12s. between them, while ther^ was left for the clubs, who had travelled at their own expense from the two ends of the country, the substantial sum of £4 4s. each. On top of this the rule states that from the proceeds of all matches shall be paid advertising, ground expenses and all other expenses of the match and approved hotel expenses and second-class railway fares of the visiting players. So that there is little surprise at tho fact that after the j game and after spending something like £55 or £60, the Auckland club was "debited from the association — after that august body had "nabbed" its 50 per cent, of the available money — with a bill for £2 18s. 6d. — the penalty of greatness! WAY OUT Last season North Shore represented Auckland m the^flnal at Wellington and another tale of financial ruin had to be written, while the backwash is seen this season when Canterbury has refused to enter for the competition and Dunedin offers one entry which is not yet received by the N.Z.F.A. There are ten entries from Wellington and eight from Auckland and this is for the honor of the club premiership of New Zealand — a glaring misnomer. Auckland association this season has adopted what may prove a solution of the difficulty, though other associations may not be able to follow suit. The association and the clubs have agreed that the association take the gates m the preliminary rounds : and that it pay the expenses of teams travelling to the- district matches, the New Zealand body to guarantee all the clubs' expenses when It comes to the final tie. . But, as yet, the parent body has made no pronouncement of its intension m the matter, though it must be painfully evident to the heads that the competition, . carrying with it such a coveted title,: is doomed to extinction unless something is done m the way of wiping out the greed for gold which has : l percolated Jnto officialdom.