SOCCER

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 85, 13 April 1929, Page 22

SOCCER

by "Vanguard" ■

COMING SEASON

KEEN' COMPETITION

OVERSEAS TOURS

'.Signs .of „keen interest in the approaching Association football season aro not lacking in Wellington; The annual meeting of the Wellington Football Association,-held a. week.or so ag", ,was marked by enthusiasm and a. spirit of optimism, and it was evident that the various clubs'have, lost no time in putting their,house in order for.the season, which promises to be one of > the most successful in the history of' tho association. At the present time.there does not appear'to;,be any, prospect of New Zealand ,-., receiving a visit from overseas,: and this will mean that attention, will be mainly devoted, to club games. 1 This should be all for. the .good, for too often in tlie past liave players had to stand on the bank and watch a' favoured few endeavour to uphold. Wellington's -, or: New Zealand,'s prestige against teams of visitors. There is nothing that kills, enthusiasm so. quickly as.inactivity,.and.tho Wellington Football Association Management: Cbinniittee should strive- this year to give their players a full programme of matches. Of course, there will bp matches against, the Other major associations for the English trophy, now heldby Auckland, but these fixtures, need not ;3iteffere with club football to any extent. . .'..

'.' Judging by the outlook < at present, the Senior A. competition, which will be commenced A riext Saturday, promises to provide plenty .'of' interest for players and spectators alike! > Bight- teams will again take part, arid competition should be particularly keen, for it is reported, that all eight clubs! will be able to place strong elevens in the,field each .Saturday.'lnevitably,- a', number. of leading :players are dropping- out, but most of tho clubs have any amount of promising youngsters'' to calhupon, .and these, no doubt will; welcome the opportunity .of winning their spurs.in' Senior A.football. ;By virtue of their, successful season in the .Senior B ..competition lastyear, .Waterside will once, again , make their appearance;in Senior'-A foptbiui, and-judging by-all" aocduuts they will make ■ matters ■^decidedly '. intones ting. Winning -the- Senior;. A competition, of. eo'ursei is^-a different ''matter-, to 'winning tlie;;Senior B'-i'eoinpetitionj- but Water-; side 'last■■"season- Aypi'Q AV.clliaboVo B stan-; dard,'and .they ;'sTiould>at -least be' able ''to" retain their position; in'the;: A grade.' 1 Y.JtLO.A., ' Hospital;- Petone;': Diamond, Thistle, Marist, and -Institute are all reported; to ■be '' flourishing' this year, ; .witlii-plenty of players to call upon, and r ithe:':'cohipctiti6u■ •..'sbbuld' be" very open. Seatoiiri/ who were the'wooden-spo'oners last-year, will drop 1 baek;to' senior B,: ■wli'ero tlicy will prove a fbrep to .reckon: ■withy:'--^ ::'--:- T ':-''■ :■■'[.:.■':^:'>:-<i:- '.■.-.'.■'. 'The; Ainnual' Meeting.: '''". '/;';; ./;;' ". " ;■ ;A- good', spirit'prevailed at.tho moot-: ;iiig- of' the:association a week or so ago, ; aid a good iiigM's.jworkJwas tho result.. The new Management Committee differs little 'from'''that which administer-; ed tho game ,last.season;.and.the' hiem■bcrs can b&relieduponrto do,their best to .advance: the/game^ -although it is to be: regretted that inoife old'players with business ability :do not come, forward and tako a hand on the. administrative side. Mr.r.W./Duhean, who had threa.t«ned 'to sever ; active, connection., with the- game, was prevailed :upbn'to take the -post' of treasurer, and ho .is again at the helm as chairman of the Management Committee.. Although-' there are some who do not see 'eye to :cye with Mr.: Duncan; there is no one who can •: say .that he is not' an i indefatigable. 1 worker, and Association football in Wol-1 lington owes, much ' to':his enthusiasm and. his' .ability..•-.'-.The'r-jposiliouviof sole selector will-, again be: filled -by . Mr. W. B/'Hicks, and in his hands the selection o£-.Wellington's .eleven to take part in theEngliah trophy matches'may be left with confidence. One member of last year's Management Committee who will be sadly, missed js Mr. W.Auld,'whose death .a few months.; ago -caus.edjsuch genuine regret •amongstv. Association football, .players, ;and . offjcials; v Mr. Auld had>been:'conuected with the game as a player, and an administrator .or many-years, and,:it.is'.due very largely to his efforts that, the game occupies such a prominent place in Wellington's winter pastimes. It is to be hoped that the association-will take some stops to see that Mr. Auld's name is perpetu■ated. . "Vanguard", has pleasure in welcoming Mr. ,G. Aers back' to the .committee, and-also Mf. L.'Mollor, of Petone, whose experience in the Old Country. should prove of value. •; Mr. Mellor, by' the way, 'was manager of the' Petone team which last .'year brought honour, to Wellington by winning the Chatham Cup... .; . , . .... Payment of Eeferees. , : i , Since last season the. question of paynierit' for referees has been receiving som^'-attention, and' various proposals have been put forward. The matter was discussed at some length at the" annual meeting of the Association, but no definite action was taken .and it is unlikely that' referees will receive any payment during the coming season. It is probable, however, that reasonable expenses will allowed to referees called: upon. to. control . games taking place at some distance from town, and to this course # no objection can be raised. Serious objection can' be raised, however,-to-the proposal to pay .referees for their services. The association certainly could riot afford to pay rcfe'roeSj.so that any payment would have tocome from.the. pockets of players," who already pay enough for their games each week. : One suggestion put forward was that players engaged! in a- game should take up a . coJlcetioiv . for tho referee each Saturday.j the' amount .to vary according to the importance of the fixture, but the adoption of this suggestion would ;:place: the referee in a very embarrassing position,, and orie which the average official would not countenance for a moment. Soccer football is still an amateur sport in-New ...Zealand, and no doubt will remain.so for many yea,rs, and while . the sport.'is. amateur it would, bo ajnistake to pay referees. • The Grounds Question. . . ' As in former years, •the question of obtaining sufficierit: grounds each Saturday' is brie that is going' to exercise the Management ■ Committee ;not a little during the 1929 season. The number of players is increasing each year, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find all the'grounds that-ai'e.required; It, is doubtful if' Association Park will bo available i'or matches.-'this'season, as it still: requires a-lot of ■attention, and at tho' time' of' Svritiiig "the Biisiii: Eeserve has not been dllobatod; -' At'the-'annunl niooting, Mr." W. Duncan' hinted that it was possible ■' that the association

might losu tho Basin this year, although tliis does not now appear very likely. It would..be little short of a tragedy if the Basin Reserve were lost,to Soccer, for it has been the principal source pi revenue during the. past i'ew seasons, and it has also served as a means of bringing the round ball game more prominently before the public. "The, Basin Reserve has conic'to be regarded as the homo of Association^ football in' Wellington, and spectators have formed the* Basin-going habit. It is questionable, whether, in tile event of the Basin Eeservo being allocated to another sport, Soccer would keep its patrons. The City Council has also benefited considerably from the Basin Reserve since Association football has been played there, ancl this consideration 'will no doubt weigh with the council when the winter allocations are being made. There is also this, point to : be remembered: Association football docs not cut up the ground to the extent that Rugby football does, a fact that has been readily admitted by council officials. If Association Park is not used this season, eyery effort should be made during tho year to put it in order as a first-class football.ground. The much-needed stand has already been provided, and if the ground were placed in order senior matches played there should prove a big attraction, for Association Park is in tho centre of a big residential area. , No doubt, the Management Committee will give' early consideration to .tins' matter. j Field Arrangements. It may be well to suggest, bright and early in tho season, that the Football Association should this year pay rather' more attention than in. the past to the "dressing" of important games and to soeing that even unimportant matches arc' clothed in ordinary deconcy, nets and reasonable field markings, for instance. Visiting teams have on half a dozen occasions showed a nice example in bringing with theni^ or arranging for, ball boys'who'ideal promptly with leather out of play and see that the spare ball is available" right away, not in the middle of a small boy scrimmage at either end or under someouo's feet half a minute.from the line. The cost of ball boys is, hap-, pily, not extreme, providing that the chosen p,ie fitted out with some sort of a uniform, a jersey or a blazer. Neither is tho small boy in anything so short supply as the efficient referee. Produce the coloured Jersey or blazer at one match and the youngster to wear it will be there, in quantity, at the next match. ■ , Apart from tho saving of time to tho players, the idea gives, a finishing touch to field arrangements that looks good to the spectators, and the spectator, after all, pays the way. Maybe that should not be so, for tho idSal is of players who play, not of players who look on, but there it is—no spectators, no gate money, no gate money, not such good facilities and satisfactory play. Tho matter of nets and corner flags at lesser games may very well be looked into by tho Association right away, for if Soccer is to bo regarded as a firstclass winter game tho field must at least be provided with necessities. The same remark has boon mado on quito a few occasions in the past, and has been emphasised by more than one disputes as to whether a goal was a goal or not, but hitherto it has been, no one's business to see that outside grounds are properly equipped, and so 'things have just gone along in a casual style. While they are about it, the Association might also make an inquiry as to whether anyono has been round posts on the Hutt Valley grounds with a spokeshave, for last year several players found square corners none 1 too healthy to collide with. These aro certainly merely minor matters', but they all count, up. Overseas Tours. It -does not appear very likely that New Zealand will have a visit from an overseas team this year, as the associations which have been approached on the subject by the New Zealand Council have been far from enthusiastic. Tho proposal was to invite an Australian team to New Zealand this winter, but it is extremely doubtful if such a visit would prove a payable proposition. New Zealand has already demonstrated very clearly, both' in Australia and in New Zealand, that it is too good for Australia at Association football, and an Australian team is not likelyto prove a very strong gate-drawing at- 0 traction. From an educational-point of view, too, a tour by;an Australian;team would not be of any great value, as the Australians have little or nothing to teach us. So far, New Zealand's experience of overseas visits.has been particularly unfortunate, and the council should hesitate a long time before it undertakes another. The council would be well advised to sit back'for a few years, and then concentrate on bringing an' English or Scottish team to New Zealand. It is well Tcnown that the council's finances .are far from/ healthy, land no further risks should be taken until the finances have been built, up. The council is making an appeal to the various associations in New Zealand to give a helping hand in improving the financial outlook,-and it is probable that the associations will respond'quite well if they are not handicapped by an overseas tour. Probably the council is very largely to blame. for the position in which it finds itself, but at the same time it was a legitimate claim on the affiliated associations.' After all the good :of the game 'is the main , consideration, and all the bickering in the world will not help to - straighten out matters. Associations should realise that,'and their delegates to tho annual meeting of the parent body early next month should be instructed to offer constructive criticism only. Criticism there is bound to be, for it is known that many of the associations are far from pleased at the manner in which the game has been controlled in New Zealand, but as long as' the criticism is along the right,linos no Objection can be raised to it. ■ , ;■■ ■ '

•The council has'also put forward a suggestion that a Now- Zealand team should pay a visit to Australia this year, but this proposal is not likely to be any more warmly supported than the proposal for a visit from an Australian team. , The associations seem •■ to bo anxious to have the.opportunity, of concentrating on club football, with ono or two representative matches as well, of course^ and it seems only right that, they should be given that opportunity. The English trophy matches will provide the public with all it wants in the way of representative fixtures, and'in addition there will be the Chatham Cup competition, although there is a feeling in certain directions that this should' be dropped as well. This is what an Auckland writer has to v say about it: "It is strongly urged that Auckland should once and for all cut thia farce out of the yearly programme. Tho Chatham Cup is neither use nor ornament to the code. It has been the means of pauperising many clubs, and the inconvenience and worry it causes in the arrangement of fixtures is overwhelming compared with any good results. Most emphatically it ought to be dropped. Wcro the A.RA. to slipw the common sense that appears to bo wanting at "Wellington, and elsewhere, and demonstrate their conviction

that the competition is impossible and. useless if run oii the lines'of its present constitution by intimating its intention of withdrawing this season." -

The writer is not in agreement with those views. Tho Chatham Cup competition is as yet in its infancy, and it should be persevered with, although admittedly there isroom for improvement in tho manner in which the competition is controlled.' .It is- a fact that clubs which got into the semi-finals and final, find the travelling expenses a severe drain on their finances, for the ga-iss provide little in-the way of a return for the outlay that is necessary. Many Clubs have been seriously embarrassed as a result of their success in the' Chatham Cup competition, and it is highly .desirable that there'should'be a-revi-sion of the rules governing it,"particularly in reference to the question of travelling expenses. . This'is a matterto which the council might well address itself early in the coming season. [ News and-Notes. ■■'■:' ■ , Soccer players generally will welcome the appointment of Mr/A. "Williams .to the" position of secretary of ;tho Now Zealand Football Association. Mr. Williams, who for a long period of years was secretary of tho Wellington Football Association, will bring to the position a wealth of experience; which should prove invaluable to the council at the present-juncture in-its history. Tlio writer expressed Very keen regret when. Mr. Williams announced his retirement from the Wellington Associa-' tion-, and accordingly he welcomes his return to active work. Mr. Williams possesses the confidence of players. and officials throughout the .Dominion, and he should do much to restore the prestige of the parent body. ■ ■-,'■' ' The "management cojnmittec of the Auckland Football Association has decided to follow Wellington in the conduct of its senior competition. The six-, teen senior teams will be divided into two grades, A and B, and the system of promotions and relegations "will be adopted. . ' , ' ■'■ '' .-

The Auckland Football Association is at present giving consideration to a proposal to play matches at Blandford Park by electric light. Professional advice regarding the necessary lighting arrangements is to be sought before a docision is arrived at.

In the death of the Chief Justice (Sir Charles Skorrett), Soccer football has lost a warm friend and an ardent supporter. Although the public pro,bably knows little of his work, Sir Charles gave the code valuable assistance in .more directions than one, and the New Zealand Association and the Wellington Association, in particular, owe much to his interest.

Association football in Auckland is now controlled by a Board of Control, instead' of ix management committee. Mr. A. Mcnzies, who has guided the destinies of Soccer football in Auckland for a number of years, is chairman of the board.

A Chinese, club is seeking affiliation with the Auckland Football Association. The matter is receiving sympathetic consideration.

Tho Auckland Association, has • decided to mako a levy of one shilling per player in tho senior, junior, and third' grades to assist in liquidating the loss sustained, by the New Zealand Council on the Canadian tour.

Mr. E. Davis is the new president of tho Auckland Football Association.