Playing National League With Cherry Stones

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30982, 11 February 1966, Page 13

Playing National League With Cherry Stones

(By Our Soccer Reporter.) By the recent pronoucement of the New Zealand Football Association it would seem that some sports administrators are never too old for children’s games. A popular pastime at the N.Z.F.A. is the game children like to play with cherry stones—“ This year, next year, some time, never.” Only N.Z.F.A. officials have a new name for the game: they call it “National League.”

The latest move by the N.Z.F.A. to get a national league started will be to ask the four main provincial associations—Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago—if they are willing to stand the initial cost of the ! scheme. The N.Z.F.A. has figured that the league, catering in the first year for provincial teams, will cost £3265, of which Auckland would be required to find £lO4O, Wellington £648, Canterbury £676, and Otago £9Ol. After its first year the league might be expanded to include other associations or be switched to a dub competition on a national basis. Details of the scheme will be considered by the N.Z.F.A. national council t o da y which will be attended by the Canterbury representative, Mr J. Smith. The chairman of the N.Z.F.A., Mr K. S. Smith, re-

cently said that w-hile it was hoped some effort could be made this year there was no point in "rushing the competition,” but a move should be made now to establish the league in 1967. Mr R. S. Smith was further quoted as saying: “We have been thinking about a national league for some three or four years now, and it’s time we had some action. “If we are to continue waiting for someone with £3500 to come along and hand it to us, then we may have to wait for many years more. “The whole point is whether or not we have any confidence in the game.” A national league scheme has been kicked around in soccer until it looks a battered wreck of what it first was. The original scheme was for a club competition, but instead of initiating it, as it could have done as the

national governing body, the N.Z.F.A. passed it over to the associations who have pecked at it, sniffed it, turned it inside out and then, in turn, thrown it back to the N.Z.F.A. On its travels the scheme has gone rusty on Everyone connected with soccer. Or almost everybody. It would be fair to ask not whether clubs and associations have any confidence in the game, as Mr R. S. Smith did, but whether Mr Smith and his fellow national administrators have any confidence in national league. It is not the first time associations have been told that “next year” the first move will be made to start a national league. That has been said for the last three years, and the cherry-stone game has passed through its first three phases, “This year, next year, some time.”

If, when it has drawn up schemes for the future pro-

gress of soccer, the N.Z.FA. adopted them as policy, as it has every right to do. instead of throwing them back to associations for their comments. the national association would not now be heavily criticised for doing nothing. If its own firm policy had [died through lack of support, I the N.Z.F.A. officials, if they I had felt strongly enough I about the matter, would not (have been blamed for resigning en bloc at what would | have been a vote of no confidence in their decisions. I Unfortunately, no strong line has yet been taken, although the national coach, Mr L. Brocic, has emphasised time and again that New Zealand soccer cannot grow without a national league, either at provincial or club level. If the cherry-stone game, called “National League," is to end at “next year” instead of moving along to “never," the N.Z.F.A. must now begin to rule soccer with the control that it has at its command.