SET-BACK FOR LEADING CLUBS

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33462, 18 February 1974, Page 26

SET-BACK FOR LEADING CLUBS

f.New Zealand Press Association!

WELLINGTON

National League soccer clubs received a set-back at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Football Association in Wellington.

A proposal by the council, to reduce the direct repre-p sentation of the clubs on the, National League Committee, 1 from 10 to three representa-! tives was passed by the < meeting.

This means that the clubs,! which more recently have! been seeking a greater say I in the running of the' National League, will have; less influence than before. The move to reduce the! size of the committee means’ that it reverts to its original! format, including the j chairman of each of the, three regional leagues, three’ persons representing the ’ clubs in the National; League, two representatives j from the N.Z.F.A. council, and a representative from the Referees’ Association. Last year the clubs each had a representative on the committee.

This was one of the very few proposals to get through at the two-day meeting.

REMITS REJECTED Of the many rerhits to be knocked back, the main ones were:

A move by Wellington to get an independent secretary for the national league. A proposal by Canterbury to allow National League clubs the right to enter teams in their regional leagues. A move by the council to increase the voting strength of the “big four’’ assoc iations—Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago—from 10 to 15 votes.

A proposal by the council that anj player sent off be automatically suspended until his case is heard.

, At the council meeting which followed the annual 'meeting Mr J. Cowie was reelected chairman of the I executive and Mr R. Kelly deputy-chairman. Officers elected were:

Patron, Sir Denis Blundell, president, Mr McGuigan; council. Messrs C. J. Dempsey Auckland'. D. A. Macdonald (Wellington'. T C. Gottermeyer (Canterbury), c Gavin (Northern Regional League', R. Hullens (Central Re gional League), M. MacKenzie (Southern Regional League' I Paton (Northern League, other association). K. Ross .Central League, other association', G. Te Tau .Southern League, other as sociatlons', R. Kavanagh (New Zealand junior associations', M Starling (New Zealand Universi ties Association'. T. J. Ward (New Zealand Referees’ Association., Executive: Messrs J. Cowie. R. A Kelly, G. P. Bilby, H. A. Dods. J. Hipkins. P. Killick, T. Klllalea, T. J. Rigby, P. Klyne.