1972 soccer competition set

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32788, 13 December 1971, Page 18

1972 soccer competition set

Five Canterbury soccer dubs will join one from South Canterbury, three from Otago and one from Southland in the 1972 southern league first division competltion. The regional council; meeting in Oamaru on Saturday, set the new format for the competition, with an open draw In the first division and the splitting of the second ivision into - northern and southern sections. Permission was given for national league clubs to play their reserve team* in the second division, with the proviso that they would not be allowed promotion to the first .division unless the national rule barring a dub from having more than one team in national and regional leagues is changed. . . Christchurch United and New Brighton both had entries accepted for the second division, which is now considered as a subsidiary competition. The first division will comprise: Technical, Christchurch City, Shamrock, Rangers, Western (Canterbury); Timaru City (South . Canterbury), which won last season’s second division title; North End Suburbs, formed by the amalgamation of the Northern ana Maori Hill dubs, Roslyn - Wakari, Caversham (Otago); Invercargill City (South-

Three other clubs from Otago —Dunedin City, Mosgiel, and Green Island —also applied for entry into the first division, but their applications were not recommended by the Otago F.A.

Without this recommendation, the regional council felt Itself compelled to accept Invercargill City to complete the 10-team competition. Had any or all of the other three Dunedin club* had the support of their association, a play-off series with th* Southland club would have been held. . i The two sections of -the second division will be: . . Southern (seven teems, to play three round*, with a bye): Mosglel, University, Green' Island, Dunedin City, Oamaru, Dunedin Technical, Queen’* Park. Northern (10 teams, to play two rounds): Northern Hearts, Timaru Thistle, Christchurch United, New Brighton, Burndale, United, HalsweU United, Riccarton. High School Old Boys, Shir-ley-N«mads, University. The winners of these two sections will join with the bottom team in the first division in a round-robin play-off tournament to decide which will enter the first division in 197?/ The council also considered a plan put forward by Mr V. R. Smith, of the Western club, to

> have two regional leagues in the [ South Island Instead of the ' present one, with the Waltaki : River as the boundary between . them, and which was unanimously supported by the Canterbury F.A. at it* annual meeting ; last week. However, the general feeling of council members was that [ although they could see merit tn Mr Smith’s scheme, which 1 would mean a large saving In ' the financial commitments now 1 being mot. by the the (splitting of “*■ wo«™ not ,be beneficial to South Island > soccer, and particularly to the clubs in the southern zone. ■ It was also felt that if Inver- - cargill City was prepared to . travel,to Christchurch five times i in a season. Canterbury clubs could hardly complain about ■ travelling to Invercargill once. Mr M. W. McKenzie (Canteri bury) was re-elected chairman ,of the council and was . appointed the league’s delegate ■on the N.Z.F.A. council. Mr H. Montgomery (Dunedin) will be ■ deputy chairman, and Mr M. K. i Pahl (Canterbury) secretary, and match secretary for the first division. The match secretaries i for the two . second dlrisioei sections will be Messrs G. Te Au (Southland) for the southern and M. Setterfield (South Canter'miry) for the northern.