12-team national soccer in 1976 proposed

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33520, 29 April 1974, Page 14

12-team national soccer in 1976 proposed

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON. ’ The Rothmans National Soccer League will remain a 10-team competition for at least another season. A meeting of the National] League Committee on Satur-] day decided not to recom-] mend an increase in the number of teams for 1975. However, the meeting pro-1 posed an increase to 12 teams in the 1976 competition. j The meeting generally! agreed that clubs seeking] national league status be given at least a year to prepare themselves. This is in direct contrast to a decision taken by the committee last year, which decided to in-1 crease this year’s competition! to 12 teams. That decision was later■ over-ruled by the New Zealand Football Association,] which will consider the latest j proposal at its council meet-! ing in Wellington next Fri-| day.

Other matters dealt with at the league meeting to be put

.before the N.Z.F.A. council were:— ! That the allocation of the (813,000 prize money by Rothimans be investigated, with a I possible incentive scheme (being introduced and the first I 'prize of $4OOO being increased. '( That no consideration be , given to establishing a second >: division for another year. That an application be (made to the N.Z.B.C. to raise ■ television fees from the pre- ; sent $750 a game to $lOOO, | with the money being paid '(direct to clubs without any [•deduction and shared on an ; equal basis. ■ That a complete fixture list i of national league and interi national fixtures be com..piled by the secretary and I that there be no deviation ifrom the fixture list. | Mr M. w. Mackenzie j (Christchurch) was elected ilr . new chairman of the National League Committee, land Mr J. Dannenhurg (Auckland) deputy chairman.