UNDER-23 SCHEME SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN NEGLECTED

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30802, 14 July 1965, Page 13

UNDER-23 SCHEME SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN NEGLECTED

QNCE before this season the national soccer selector. Mr Gordon Smith, team manager of the Western club, has seen one of his brain-children come into being, when South Pacific countries were formed into the new Oceania Soccer Confederation and gained the recognition of the international body. Now he has seen a second of his forward-looking ideas at least bearing fruit, the proposed tour of the four main centres by a New Zealand under-23 team. Mr Smith proposed this scheme to the national association three years ago and it was pushed to one side and forgotten. However, a national under--23 team was one of the first priorities urged by the new national coach, Mr L. Brocic, and the council of the

N.Z.F.A. has responded to his appeal far more promptly that it did to Mr Smith's. The under-23 team will make its first national tour between August 28 and September 4, playing a match apiece in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. The Canterbury FA. has already given the tour its wholehearted support, and the other three main centres should also do so. The play has long been needed in New Zealand and if it had been formed when Mr Smith first suggested it national sides might not have suffered so many heavy defeats from touring teams and the world-touring party would not have been gathered together in such a higgledypiggedly maner. The basis of the national side would have been set down three

A. W. GOWANS years ago and New Zealand would not have been now starting from scratch.

At least four Canterbury players must be under consideration when the national selectors (Messrs Smith, J. Shankie and W. Walsh) come to choose their party of 16 players to make up

the first under-23 team. They are the new Brighton playercoach, T. Conley, and the three City players, A. Gowans. F. Madrussen and D. Watson. Others, such as the Technical centre-half. G. Griffiths, may get their chances in a year or two. All four have been valuable members of the Canterbury senior team this season, and Gowans for the last two. Watson is now beginning to produce the form expected from him when he was an outstanding junior and Madrussen has tremendous potential. If soccer in New Zealand lacks a national appeal, this is only because schemes such as this under-23 team have been tucked away in a pigeon-hole and left to moulder. Another is the national league. So long as this short-sightedness and lack of courage and conviction remains in New Zealand soccer so long will it stay a Cinderella sport.