SOCCER PROBLEM

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 167, 11 April 1932, Page 5

SOCCER PROBLEM

Access to the Schools

DELEGATES’ VIEWS

N.Z. Association Meeting

A special sitting of the delegates to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Football Association was held on Saturday morning, the usual business of the meeting having been completed overnight. The delegates sat for three hours on Saturday to discuss the most difficult problem faring the association, that of promoting the growth of Soccer In the schools, and the secondary schools in particular. In all centres throughout the Dominion the Soccer bodies have had the greatest difficulty in getting the code introduced into the secondary schools, and have not yet succeeded in doing so in all cases. The position was discussed from all angles, and there was unanimity in the opinion that there is a hiatus between junior and senior football, so far as retaining players is concerned, that constitutes the greatest bar to the progress of the game. Practically all associations have succeeded in getting the Soccer code recognised in the primary schools, but after coaching the boys for three years or so, and providing them with competitive games in that grade, have lost touch with them owing to the refusals to allow the game to be played in the secondary schools or under the auspices of the school. The result has been that they have drifted out of the game, and in many instances have not taken up any other winter pastime. The whole .question was regarded with the greatest concern, and the meeting called for a statement of the position by a delegate from each of the 15 affiliated associations. Mr. J. C. Young, Manawatu, said his association hoped to have five senior teams this season. Club fees had been reduced. The management committee had. looked after the game at Flock House since it was instituted, but their efforts had produced little fruit as the boys were trained to sheep farming, and after leaving school were usually too far away from the centres to take any active part in the game. Boys would not be imported after this year, and New Zealand boys would supply the material to keep the institution going. The association had not been very successful in getting the game into the schools in the centre, but there was to be a meeting with headmasters next week at which it was hoped to achieve good results. In Southland the teachers had no objection so long as a coach was supplied to look after the boys, said Mr. G. Hodgson, Southland. There were 16 teams in the primary and secondary schools, but they could not get into the High School.

Excellent progress at Wanganui was reported by Mr. It. Telford, who said there would be eight secondary teams playing this season against two last season, and there would be 16 primary school teams against 12 last year. To do that he first got in touch with the assistant masters, and afterward with the headmasters, telling them coaches would be provided. Last year they had grounds at Cook’s Gardens and Victoria Park, but owing to the increase in charges ■ had retained the ground at Victoria Park and secured another at Williams Park. The speaker said he hoped to have teams in the Collegiate School next season. There were no schools playing Soccer when he went to Wanganui. Wellington Conditions. Mr. W. B. Hicks, Wellington, had a very different tale to tell. The association had endeavoured by every possible means to get Soccer introduced into, or recognised in,, the secondary schools, but without success. In fact, he had been told’frankly by one of the principals that they did not want Soccer in the colleges in Wellington. Mr. Hicks gave details of the amounts paid for grounds, a total of £459, nearly all being city reserves from which- they had no gates except at the Basin Reserve, which was the main ground. Unfortunately they did not derive much revenue from the Stadium, as it was so far from the city. The association had no professional coaches, but several members and old players had interested themselves in the work, and they had been able to provide coaches for all the school teams. The game was played at the Technical College, but they had not been able to get it into the secondary schools, and some of the primary schools, owing to the objections of the masters. It was a question also whether they were not wasting money on boys’ football in the primary schools when they were not allowed to play it in the colleges and then pass into the senior clubs. It seemed to him they were training the boys until they reached the time to find a place in the Rugby teams.; Mr. A. E. Coxbill explained the .difficulty experienced in Nelson in getting the code into the schools, and suggested that the free supply of footballs and jerseys might help. In one school there were 30 boys playing Rugby, but the others were not allowed to play Soccer, the head saying they had to foster the national game. A fair measure of success was reported from South Auckland owing to personal work by members of the management committee, while in North Auckland, although there are four school teams in one town there are none in another, one trouble being that the half-holiday was not on Saturday. A measure of success had been achieved at Buller by the personal efforts-of Mr. R. Scott, who obtained permission to take the game into the school and trained the boys himself. 101)8 Boys nt Auckland. There were. 1098 boys in all grades from the fifth downwards in Auckland, said Mr. F. M. Ritchie, and the only way to get football into the schools was by perseverance and pertinacity. Mr. Ritchie emphasised the necessity of dissociating senior football from junior football, pointing out that there was a junior committee in Auckland which took entire charge of schools football. The experience of Canterbury as related by Mr. J. M. Dickinson was somewhat similar to that of Wellington. The association had met with success in the primary schools, but the big obstacle was in getting the game recognised in the secondary schools. The Otago Association was in a much happier position, judging from the report of Mr. A. W. Sinclair, whose statement was to the effect that Soccer was played in the primary and secondary schools, and vas making good progress. They were also in a sound position regarding finance and grounds.