CLUBS NOT HELPING

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30275, 30 October 1963, Page 6

CLUBS NOT HELPING

Association In “Deep Water” Lack of support from Canterbury soccer dubs was putting toe association in “deep water,” the chairman of the Canterbury Football Association (Mr J. Smith) told toe half-yearly meeting last evening. A £650 loss on toe game staged between toe Los Angeles Kickers and toe South Island, and toe fact that a recent raffle run by the association made only £5O, instead of £250, was toe result of lack of interest by soccer players, he said.

“If the committee does not bring teams here, everyone complains, when it does nobody cares, money is lost, and again, everyone complains,” Mr Smith said. At the match 75 per cent of the spectators were outsiders. Only two dubs applied for preferential bookings. The game was offered the Canterbury association for £lOOO, and it hoped to take about £l9OO from the gate. About £l5OO was taken at the gate for the earlier match with New Caledonia, and the American side was very much better, said Mr Smith.

The New Zealand Football Association could not be expected to help bear this loss, as it probably had less money than Canterbury. “We got into deep water last year and thought this match would get us out of it. We are now in deeper than ever. “We can’t afford to go on like this much longer,” Mr Smith said.