Soccer club’s 50th anniversary

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33193, 5 April 1973, Page 14

Soccer club’s 50th anniversary

One of the oldest and most successful soccer clubs in Canterbury, Techj nical A.F.C., is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this week-end. The club was formed on February 10. 1923, and its foundation members were Messrs J. B. Garnett, agricultural master at the Technical College and a former member of the Corinthian club in England, and C. J. Goldstone. sports master at the college. However, a Technical Old i Boys club had been in existence earlier, but it was a short lived one. It was formed in 1916, entered two teams in the Canterbury competitions. gained one success, but became defunct the next year. Apart from going into recess during the Second World War. the present Technical club has been consistently successful, with an

record in the national Chatham Cup knockout competition. Its record of seven appearances in the national final—four of them in the space of five years —has been bettered ’ only by another Canterbury 3 club. Western, with eight ; appearances. Technical’s first major competition success was the winning of the inter-club r Hurley Shield in 1937. It also i held the trophy from 1949 to .1951, but did not win it t again until 1961. The introduction of the 1 Southern League in 1968 be- i - gan another splendid run of! i success. Technical won the! s regional title in 1969 and ) 1970 and was runner-up in - 1971. The club's committee met. t the challenge that rapidly improving soccer standards de-I - manded of teams by bring--1 ing to Christchurch as its t nlayer-coach the former Scot- - t.ish amateur international.; band Scottish and English F.A.j

jCoach, Mr J. S. Chalmers. He. it was, who helped to mould (together the team that imme j ' diately became successful in ■ the Southern League. The club s next move wa* I the getting together wilt) Christchurch City, Rangers and Shamrock to form the national league side. Christchurch United i NOw. Technical is in 'be i process of rebuilding itself, 1 for a renewed attack on i soccer’s honours. This season it has recruited two notable coaches from Britain. : both with English F.A. certe ticates. Mr W. Dumbell. a liormer Liverpool professional • and Mr Paul Norfolk, who I arrived eariy this week. k has been a proud and successful 50 years for Tt-ch-inical. during which it has (produced numerous New Zealland and Canterbury representatives. Most of the seven . ■ Smith brothers who have done so much for soccer in New Zealand, began the game lat the Technical College.