ASSOCIATION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 175, 18 April 1908, Page 9

ASSOCIATION.

(By Centre-Half.) .

On„Tuesday night a mating - of .the'-.Wel-lington . Football); Association' Referees',; Club, was, hold. It was decided to alter tlie' nimb .' Association'' for "Club," so, in'future, the body will Jbe known aB,. the, Hl ".Referees' Association:" l ; NinoV new members; were .elected. ; Mr. W. Aiild 'was, elected chairman,'and Mr. H. Waters secretary.! Messrs. Godbef, Salmon and Waters were, appointed a goneral committee, , and, with, the'. assist:, ance of Mr. Lyle, thoyj-will. go into libe .question, of the alteration of ; rules. ' Mr. H. . Waters, who succeeds the late Sir. W; J.'Hamilton as secretary, iswell "known m_!''spccer" circles,'and, if. ho weilds the. pen with tho sameV{efficiency, as he "toots"'his whistle, the success of tho Reforees' Associa-, tion is assured.' ;; : The ordinary'meeting the W.F.A.'s Management Committee was also .held" on Tuesday, ■ and the report of the proceedings: was published-the following day. ' The. Boys' Subcommittee (Messrs. Holmes, Barriett, and Salmon), mot on Tuesday.. A request was received; from, tho Newtown. Congregational! Sunday School team, asking for., permission to iplay several members,' who were over the age. limit ,of 15 years., After due consideration, the .request was, refused.:'Tho Schools! and Fifth Class Competitions' were . also discussed, and the committoo has rccomimefidod that the question of organising the School League, for this season bo hold overV mentioned that the majority of fifth class competitors attended schools, and, .unless the" matches could be got off on Saturday mornings,; the cJne-section would, clash: with the: other. The'schools will, probably' have a touniament at the 'end "of this seasofi; run on the cup-tie line, viz., each; defeated, team drops out. , The. -number of teams entered ■ for- the Boys' Competition last year was 'eight, and 14 entries havo been received for 4908.

A suggestion to tho W.F.A. from the, Boys', Sub-committee is to the effect that the ago limit of 21 years for competitors in the third class matches remain unaltered. They point out that several teams, consisting principally of lads about 17 yoars old have recently been promoted from tho rank of the fourth's, and that to allow men to compete with them would affect the. lower, grades. . Tho Y.M.C.A. will play Hastings at Hastings to-day, and, will play a combined team ■from Hastings and Napier, at Hastings, on Easter Monday. , The Swifts were to play a team from West--port, at Nelson,-to-day, but tho West Coasters Aro unable to get a team away, 'so; in conscquonce, the Swifts have altered their programme. They will play Nelson, at Nelson, to-day, and Nelson District, at Nelson, on Monday. The Y.M.C:A. seniors will be minus the services of Bobby." Burns in goal, as ho has decidcd not to play.;. His place will be filled by; Gofton, who formerly occupied a similar position in tho juniors., Sanders,: last year's right wing, : s probably not going, to enter the active' ranks. Mr. B. L. Salmon, of the Boys' Sub-Com-mittee of the -Wellington. Football Association; is in receipt'of some interesting corres- ' pondence, relative to the progress of "soccer" in the public schools of Otago. Mr. T., H. Broomfield, :,hon, i secretary of ; the Otago Schools 'Association Football, in to Mr. Salmon's.' letter, . amongst other matters! mentioris that during the season ;of 1907 -there, were; 26' teams playing consistently, being 13 teams each*, of - senior; arid junior.-, •For a 'tournament arranged''to-, wards the:closo of last.season,.over forty teams entered: . ; ..:An idea-of how popular, " soccer " has become in'thoischnols in,Otago since it commenced in 1902' will bo; seen by the following figures": •- Season«i9o3'is''teams'."' „ 1903 ... ... . 14 . „ 1904:'... ... ... 15 ~ „. 1905 :... ... ... 15 „ , „ ' 1906 ... ... ... 19 „ .' „ . 2907 ' " ... *29 V ; . (' Including' two fourth-class teams.) The Rugby Union had twelve teams ing last season.' A largo„numbfir of, tho schools have both "soccer" and Rugby teams, .but most of:the' mastjers iare in favour'of tli'e, former'game. : Mr. Brooriifield enclosed testi'monials from'several headmasters, of schools , in Otago,- . who • state." that ' they .consider " soccetis a better ',game 'for-, boys -thanRugby.! These letters, .together [with" tho mat- ' ter. or promoting " soccer" in our local , schools, are being dealt with by the WeJlingI ton 'Football "Association.."fV. v/' • ;! v 'e :Mr. J. Lewis,-an English authority,,;has;ox•pressed the'opinion tliat a goal .would;not' count, if tho ball burst as a shot, was taken, for tho simple reason that it "was .not a "ball," when it crossed the line'. . : Is the,F.A.._fossilised? asks Athletic •News.", Looking at the rule book,of tho year 189.0-1 'find were thirty members.■ of , those ; only ~-'orie-third- are ; now on the Gouncili : Ten years back, ; in season 1897:8, there; iwere ;iorty-six members, and; twentyfivo ,<>f are still members. 1900-1 there, werfe' twenty-three members, and tliere are to-ddy',doublo that number of members. • There'has! been , constant !change and a, cori-st.ant.-iriflux .'of. new.b100d....,0f tho,ten diyifive aro comparatively riew imeri: V.' Of the thirty-eight-Association .representatives . there, ire ■seventeen'. .Whose' connection with the : Association only dates from ono>to .three'seasons; The question I would ask is whether these -facts do not show tjiat^far'from being . fossilised tho Couhcil'is actually :half, composed of.new, blood and'new ■brains? ■! If it is. fair.to.use .the word :fdssilised kjegard,.to the older imembers that is'a' point on which'issue : could ;qasily be'joined. If Lord Kinnaird, Mr. Clegg,-,Mr. Crump, Mr. ''.Woojfall,. jVtr; Bentley, Mr. - Hughes,. .Mr. M'Gregor, v and Mr. Gregson aro fossils, thon 4.11 I.can 'say,is that the yl'ord; needs revising. They are all active workers .in ."the .' game. Mr. Bentley. is. the president of,"tho iDimguei, •Mr. Hughes afcd.Mr. Gregson working secre'l6ries..,j(>f;. b.ig.countyAssociations-;.' - Mr. Camp's vigour and .vitality, were never more jfiriely displayed the-.last annual niect- ! ing,i Mr: ! M'Gregor's -gobd:-i(ork! ariiong' :the youths of Birnj]ngham ;i? : wotideriul, ana; Mr:. Woolfall only' a left horiio ,-soon. "hfffer 'fiye l :.D',elpclc?.'mv the morning,. tS; go! to thd inteniStiori'al; nfiftoh; at' ; Darlingtori;';: As" ; foir- .the Lord -Kirinaird- a 'fossil .out-'of'courts-'' 'Any. stone seems good enough nowadays, to throw at the F.A.j oven to the extent that they are. opposed -to the. Sheriff of London's football, charity.; It is riot so. There,'seldom his '.tieen- a meaner comment than that,' arid i<the man who made it knows'that what I am saying-is true." ,'.!'.. .. : ; :, ;An jefiEort is ' being made ,to popularise As- , sociation. football in' the ,United States,; and with' this object' in view 'Mr! A. W.' Parker, recently sailed ior London arrange- ! ments for a visit from:a Civil Service team irii the early spring. '; "' ■ ,;

...■The English governing body of "soccer" are arranging. a serios of tour matches for ■next' season; aiid the" Athletic " says "ioat" there prospect' that an inter-, national ;team will visit the Continent in May. Austria; applied', for a match at Vienna. wliilst'. the great: exhibition is in progress , there, and the 'news that, the application would pror 'bably v be .granted quickly brought requests for 'matches from both Hungary , and Bohemia; Provided- satisfactory- guarantees-can- be arranged, ,it is probable ' that ' a team mil' go out to -. tackle Austria at Vienna,. Smeary at: - Pudapesth, and /Bohemia at .Prague. .Unless these nations 'ask for' a purely amateur side,' the. team sent out ..will be ■ thoroughly - representative of both, : amateurs and professionals. And the trip should .be vory enjoyable for those players who are fortunate enough to be seleotea. -

Recently. the English Football Association 1 introduced a'new.fotf-sidelaw, and, like manyotlxer rules, has caused some adverse; coni-; ment. " Ctonsett" writes to the "-Athletic News " as follows:—It is', quite'true that:a' player can be. : 6ff-side in. his own half. The new law;, that. has beeii .in 'force, for four; months does; not Teay .that: a player cannot he off-side in his' own ' half. what, it says, •if ,-you l(Wk at-the rule carefully, is this:—' "■'A. pla/er is not out. of play (that' mean's ■olf-siae) 1 when -he 'himself is "within'.-his own half. of. the field of play at the moment the bal) is played . . . . by any player of the same side." Now let us turn that into action. A player Ais within his' own ; half of the field of play at -the moment the ball is played by ,one. of his own side, B, then A cannot be off-side; (But- if A is ,within his, .opponent's half when the ball was lastplayed by B r : and B is not in front of A, then l A 'is liable to bo off-side.- Alid. if he is,' he would oontinue to be off-side if he ran back into his. own' half,' 'and ' could have' a ; free kick given against him there. Now do; you■see? '■ : .:-i • i. ' ' V

V Tariff Reformers are now . admitted :, by; friends and foes"to be the real'fighting force! of the Unionist party. Only ' they 'aro 1 cap r ' able of stopping the Socialist advance.—"Oik server." • :. "■ \ The only country that , fulfils all her obliga-, 'tions tpwards .Jipan is! Russia. • As" before the war, Japanese, subjects now enjoy to the full all* the rights (granted thorn by agree-' mijnts mado between. tho ; two countries,' and even more.—"Novoo Vromya," St. Peters-, burg. ' ' .. What causes so many anonymous letters to achiove their •_ object'is that after a time wo come to consider them as the voice, of -Destiny. Imagine yourself receiving an,, anonymous declaration of love. .You may* bo clad in the triple armour of scepticism, pessimism, and cynicism—but that. letter will be over in your, mind.—"Mattino," Naples. '