Soccer plans back on drawing board
By
ALISTAIR ARMSTRONG
The Hertz regional soccer format is likely to be back on the drawing board at the annual meeting of the southern league in Oamaru on Sunday. The Canterbury Football Association, reacting to pressure from local clubs, wants plans for a fully regional competition dropped in favour of something along the lines of the present zonal set-
up. The association has put forward a recommendation that seeks to overturn a decision by the league’s council in July to revert to a fully regional draw. The council envisaged an elite group of six teams from the Christchurch area and four from Dunedin and Invercargill replacing the two ten-team divisions that have existed for the last two seasons.
The move to abandon that idea came from clubs which would rather see games confined to northern and southern divisions than face the estimated $5OOO-plus cost of travelling to fixtures in an integrated league. Adding fuel to Canterbury’s case is the fact that the council’s decision to go fully regional was made on the basis of incorrect information, according to the secretary, Trevor Gottermeyer.
“We thought that the majority (of clubs) down south were in favour of it and some in Christchurch would have gone along with it, but that turned out not to be the case,” he said. “The majority of clubs want a zoned league. The council’s decision was made without
that knowledge.” However, Mr Gottermeyer said the council’s original
decision could only be rescinded by the council itself, on the recommendation of the league meeting. Pressure for a fully regional competition has stemmed, from a feeling that playing standards have declined with the present number of teams. “The gates at the moment show people are not interested in watching Hertz soccer,” Mr Gottermeyer said. “We have got to make the competition as good as we can.”
To help achieve this, he has suggested that the separate divisions play to find their best one or two teams and that these teams play off in a home-and-away series from mid-July. The remainder would continue with a subsidiary competition. “At least we would be
getting a series of good games at the end of the season,” he said.
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Press, 10 November 1981, Page 48
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372Soccer plans back on drawing board Press, 10 November 1981, Page 48
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