THE SOCCER GAME

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 245, 4 July 1918, Page 7

THE SOCCER GAME

ASSOCIATION'S FINANCIAL STRAITS OUTLOOK HOPEFUL EFFORT TO SAVE THE SITUATION A meeting ,was held last ovpnina of gentlemon interested in helping the Wellington Football Association out. of ils financial difficulties. Before thn median tho association was a little over ,C! 00 "down," but during tho evening ,£Ol was received in. donations, and Mi(\ worth ot shares in the ground was applied for. The outlook is considered hopeful. Mr. A. Wells, who presided at the meeting, Paid that the present position of the association was due to (he war. Since tho beginning of the war tho association had devoted most of its iMinrgies to tho fostering of the game nniougst the boys, and h good deal of the money received has been spent in that direction. Last year about ,£SO had been so spent. I Ho was pleased to see that the comniilteo had taken steps to introduce tho game into the prinmry schools, and now it was firmly established in many of them. With help there was prospect of the game being played in all the schools. One of tho greatest difficulties had been this rulo that no school team could go out to play football unless accompanied by a niaste'r. Tho association had painted out that I hero were/not enough masters to accompany both the liugby and tho Association teams. The objection had beun overcome by an arrangement that the teams could go out to play if they were accompanied by siiinc responsibl'o person. Tlie committee had been nnabli) to get sufficient iienllcincii to come forward and help to run the school games. This year they had a fair coinpetition, but they would still l>e glad of the help of anyone who .could render assistance. If they could get the boys, a wonderful rw'ruiiing ground would ha provided. It was from the school tennis that the ultimate senior players would come, so tho boys had to be catered for. 11l 1915 the W.F.A. paid the City Council no less than ,£O3 *'or the use of city reserves, and they were tho only sports body which puid such fees during the year. They wore told that they wero •foolish to pay this money, and in tIHG-17 they did uot pay, expecting that the debt would \k wiped out by the City Council, but this year they were informed that if they did not pay the amount they would not be allowed the uso of the city reserves. Steps (him had to bo taken to uiako an arrangement with tho council to carry on for tha season. This arrangement was that the amount would bo.paid by the beginning of next season. There was a deficit of about iCICIO, and it had beeu thought that the beat way to get out of tho difficulty would be to call togt'iSier those interested in tho gams. Mr. P. J. Courtney explained the position respecting the association's ground. Ho added that the players at the front would not bo pleased if they returned to find tho ground forfeited. Mr. C. J. Ward asked which it was the nioro necessary to help—the nssocia'tion or tho ground? The chairman . answered that ground was the first concern.

Mr. T. Shields said Unit a projected swimming carnival should realise i>loo. Ha offered to help Iho association in any wa.y ho could. Brothor Eusebius assured iho meeting of tho support of the MnrLst schools. The- association had been of great assistance to tho schools, and the llarist pupils and teachers would give their whole-hearted support to the movement to help tho association. Messrs. Ivory, Dick, Brady. Shields, Smith, 11. J. Buck, ami ./. ll'Croiie were appointed a <oniunlteo to canvass for shares and to generally forward the movement.