ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL APPLICATION OF LAWS

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28129, 19 November 1956, Page 3

ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL APPLICATION OF LAWS

WORLD UNIFORMITY URGED SIR STANLEY ROUS’S VIEWS Uniformity in the application of the laws of Soccer throughout the world was the aim of the International Federation of Football Associations, the controlling football body of the worW, said &r Stanley Rous, secretary of the English Football Association and a member ot the international body, when he spoke with members of the Canterbury Football Association at Harewood airport. He has been in New Zealand since Monday, and spent two days in Wellington lecturing to Soccer referees from all over the Dominion. He returned to Melbourne yesterday. . . . Because of the increasing numbers of international and world championship matches, as well as the Olympic Games contests, it was more important than ever that there should be this uniformity in application of rules, he said. No matter where Soccer was played, it had to be played to the uniform rules, "whicn applied to every palyer in every country. Sir Stanley Rous s interests are not limited to Soccer. Having played Rugby and hockey, as well as Soccer, he is interested in any sport. He maintains that a person should play the game from which he derives most enjoyment. He is a member of the British Olympic Association. chairman of the Central Council for Physical Recreation, a member of King George’s Jubilee Fund, and he is one of the organisers of Olympic Soccer. He succeeded Sir Frederick Wall as secretary of the English Football Association in 1934 after a career in Soccer as an administrator and a referee.

Sir Stanley Rous’s enthusiasm for all sport was apparent when he described the work of the Central Council of Physical Recreation. In this body, 210 indoor and outdoor organisations were connected with the development and organisation of physical education and recreation in all branches, he said. Three recreation centres were maintained, and there teachers, coaches, leaders, schools, colleges, universities, boys’ clubs, and other organisations came for training. The English Football Association .and the M.C.C. took advantage of its facilities, he said

The centre in Central England had athletic tracks and big halls for indoor training, and the one in North Wales gave training in rock climbing, mountaineering, archery and wrestling. The chairman of the committee supervising the mountaineering section was Sir John Hunt.

The centres were self-supporting, and a large grant was received from the Minister of Education for the training of teachers, he said. OLYMPIC TEAMS’ VISIT GERMANY INTERESTED IN TOUR CANTERBURY MAKING INQUIRIES Tentative arrangements have been made for a visit to New Zealand by the Indonesian and Indian Soccer teams taking part in the Olympic Games, but the Indonesian team has now notified that it cannot fit in the trip. A German team, however, has now expressed interest in a tour, and it is hoped that New Zealand may still see two of the world’s leading teams in action. The Canterbury Football Association has from the outset been very keen that Olympic teams should visit New Zealand and at one time offered to make arrangements for a tour should the New Zealand association not wish to do so. Presumably because of the small amount of time now left to make arrangements, the New Zealand association has told the Canterbury association that if it can complete arrangements it is at liberty to arrange a visit. The president of the Canterbury association (Mr M. Gordon) is at present in Sydney, and on Tuesday next he will fly to Melbourne to confer with the German and Indian teams to see if he can arrange the tour. With Mr Gordon will be Sir Stanley Rous, secretary of the English Football Association. Before his departure for Melbourne from Harewood, Sir Stanley Rous said that he would do everything he could to help the Canterbury association in its efforts. It is proposed that the teams will play an exhibition match at Lancaster Park on the evening of Thursday, December 13 If possible, matches will be arranged for other centres. TOUR BY ENGLISH TEAM POSSIBILITY OF VISIT TO N.Z. A visit to New Zealand by an English : Soccer team was always a possibility, said Sir Stanley Rous, secretary of the English Football Association, before leav- : ing Harewood by air for Australia yesterday. “We have been to South Africa and have had visits from South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, and the West Indies, so we will » be making another tour soon. The time factor is the main thing,” he said. “Ama- ( teurs are not available for long periods,' but the difficulties are not insurmountr able now that the aeroplane is shrinking the world.” t He said that future teams would play fewer matches in the one country. The tendency would be for games to be . played in more countries on a tour.