DISPUTE OVER HIGHER FEES Basketball Assn May Quit National Body

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31663, 26 April 1968, Page 15

DISPUTE OVER HIGHER FEES Basketball Assn May Quit National Body

If the New Zealand Men’s Basketball Association proceeds with its plan to increase affiliation fees by a further $3 to $lO a . tean ? next season, the Canterbury association will consider disaffiliating.

Concerned at the increase this season from S 4 a team to $7, a move approved by a narrow majority at the recent annual meeting of the national body in Wellington, the Canterbury association decided at its meeting on Wednesday evening to write a letter of protest to the national executive.

The letter will ask what i sociation and the ordinary i benefits the Canterbury as-1 player will receive from the increase—s 6 a team in two seasons—in affiliation fees, and will notify the New Zealand body of its intention to consider disaffiliation if there are further increases. The increase in fees was to pay the expenses of the New Zealand representative team’s build-up towards the 1972 Olympic Games, the Canterbury president (Mr A. W. Barrett) explained. He said that the tours committee had originally requested the annual meeting to approve an increase of $8 a senior team ‘but this had not been acceptable to delegates. At the recent annual meet_ing someone asked why New Zealand should send a team to the Olymp’c Games when it could nnt even beat an Australian State side. “1 thought that was a coed question.” Mr Barrett added. The meeting was told that the Auckland association,

which controls about a quarter of the active basketball players in New Zealand was already considering disaffiliation. Club Subscriptions Subject to the investigation of a money-raising scheme, the Canterbury association has decided to pass on the increase to its clubs. Club subscriptions have tentatively been set at $3l for each senior team and $l2 for under--20 teams. If no alternative means of raising finance were found, the players in the Canterbury A grade representative team will have to contribute $3O each towards travelling and Accommodation expenses ’ Canterbury B nlayers will be I asked to contribute $l7 each 1 Mr Barrett reported that : members of the 1967 New Zealand team which toured Australia were to be billed $5O each to help pay for the cost of the trip. Members i also expressed concern at this but took no action.

Mr G. Jones was appointed Canterbury B selector-coach. An A grade player for the Rex club, he was a Canterbury B representative last season. An invitation from Wellington for two Canterbury teams to play there on May 25 was held over. Canterbury has already invited Wellington to play in Christchurch, and both visits depend largely on the possibility of television coverage.

A request from Mid-Canter-bury to play A grade club sides in Christchurch on the same basis as last season was also held over. The only time available on Saturday for the match to be played were 11.15 a.m. and 6 p.m., neither of which were very suitable, the chairman (Mr J. Grocott) said. Mid-Canterbury wants to play its first match on Saturday against the A grade team with the bye. This was referred to Y-Boys, which has drawn the bye, for consideration. Replay Refused A request from the University club for a replay of the A grade match between High School Old Boys and Old Maroons because of alleged inconsistences in the scoring was refused. The executive agreed that the score sheet had been checked and signed by the referees and could not be altered and that there was no evidence 'of any error. i Old Boys won the match, 3130. It was decided to begin Tuesday evening* matches at 6 p.m. instead of 6.15 p.m., and to reduce the playing time of under-20 games to 35 minutes. This action was taken after numerous complaints about the late finishing time on Tuesdays.