Soccer Finding More Players, More Problems

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31016, 23 March 1966, Page 21

Soccer Finding More Players, More Problems

The rapid increase of junior soccer in Canterbury—an addition for the coming season of nearly 30 teams, 300 boys—has not brought only joy to the junior management committee of the Canterbury Football Association.

This “startling growth,” as It was termed by the president of the C.F.A. (Mr J. Smith), “which has been reflected every season for the last 5-6 years,” has also brought its quota of problems. “They are now very familiar problems, for we have been meeting them season after season,’ 'said Mr G. Roberts, secretary of the junior management committee, ;They are the result of soc-

cer’s growing peins and we would be foolish to do other than welcome them, for our job is to cater for junior soccer.”

The three natal problems associated with this increasing playing strength are pitches, referees mid officials to do the growing amount of

However, a positive move has been made by the junior management committee to overcome one of the problems: the shortage of pitches.

“We have asked the council to supply smaller pitches for twelfth grade boys,” said Mr Roberts. “If we get what we are after these pitches will be only slightly bigger than half the size of ordinary pitches, and this will have three great advantages.

“It will enable us to have more pitdies on the same area of ground, to cater for the boys in the age groups where the increasing numbers are greatest, and to bring the size of the pitdies in better conformity with the size of the boys playing in the twelfth grade. “In the past there has been some criticism that boys in the age groups of six, seven and eight years should not be expected to play on fullsized pitches, more particularly when they are wet and

The other two problems—referees and officials—will be less easy to solve, said Mr Roberts. They required more people to come forward to referee and to help administer the game, and these had not been forthcoming so far. “However, we will send out our annual appeal asking for more help from clubs and parents of the boys playing,” said Mr Roberts. “The numbers now playing in our junior grades are in excess of 2000, and this figure does not include schools’ teams who do not come under our jurisdiction.

“The growth has been around 200 boys a season for the last six years, and we do not see the end yet in sight. We must make a great effort to supply the manpower necessary to keep these boys playing.”