Association Football

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 70, 19 September 1936, Page 23

Association Football

By "Vanßuard."

THE SEASON GAME BECOMING A SUMMiR SP^T Again this season the Association football .-season will:.come- very hear to the summer sports season, as "present /indications .are'"that; "the games will continue until ; ' October 3 at least. This afternoon /Marist. and Waterside were to have played a championship game of: little ultimate importance, and next Saturday, while' Wellington's.-',best eleven- are -doing battle at Auckland-for the: Campbell Rose Bowl, it .is proposed .to: play Seat6un and Hospital atPorirua in what will ..virtually; be the deciding championship game., After that thare still remains the'Auldi:Cup'; final replay, which is now-scheduled far October- 3-r-on. which datei. incidentally, a number of summer-sports clubs-will -tie -starting-their, activities. There will still remain the Al£ Williams : Trophy'game,: butno fixture for that, has yet been, discussed by,:the management■ mittee, of the Wellington Football Association.-, Last year the'season finished on September 23. This year October 10 seems; a likely-final date. . ■ ■'. ■'■ ■ , :!; - .-'' :1- ":}. ,/-^X V: ■•

Whether it is in the best interests of the game to continue the season for so long is a point that will always* be argued and never settled. Generally speaking, those controlling Soccer are not in favour of encroaching on the summer sports season, but the trouble arises from the size of the fixture list, and any curtailment of the accystomed number of games is sure to cause a wail of complaint—and possibly a strongly-justifiable one—from those affected.

In the one season it Is necessary for :most teams in the First A Division to play fourteen championship games. Then there are ' the Chatham Cup games, which, including the national final, account in Wellington ton four Saturdays. Three more Saturdays are needed for the Auld Cup, this season four being needed- because of the draw in the final.: Finally there is the Aif. Williams Trophy. In addition to these games there are the various interprovincial fixtures. This year Wellington will have had only two—the games against Auckland, but on two other Saturdays and on the King's Birthday the Australians played here. All these games combine to swell the senior fixture list to uncomfortable proportions. The comparative simplicity of the First B Division programme, unhampered byi Chatham Cup and many interprovincial games, shows that the trouble 'is caused by the non-local fixtures. Interprovincial games must be played, and the most practicable remedy is to alter the Chatham Cup rules so as to provide for the championship winners in each centre to play off for the trophy. Against that is the fact that in the past the cup winners have as often as not been well down on their local championship table, indicating that ' the national champion club team is not necessarily invincible in a season's league competition. Difficulties in the way of radical alteration to the present system are bo great that it seems as if Soccer will be one of the last winter sports to finish for many years yet. TRAINING SCHOOL SUCCESS IN ENGLAND About a year ago Mr. Stanley Rous, the secretary of the Football Association, suggested to the managers of the League clubs 'that some of their methods of training players and generally fitting them for the long campaign were out of date.-Formerly, Mr. Rous was a schoolmaster and, putting their heads in the air, the managers asked: "Does he propose to teach us as if we were his pupils?" But Mr. Rous simply laughed at

PERUVIANS' RAGE

OLYMPIC SOCCER UPSET

them and proceeded to organisa a summer school for trainers, states a London correspondent. He was pleased to call it a "refresher course," in order not to offend the dignity of the men, all of whom had been brought up in the game as professionals, and it was at once a big success. That was a year ago. Now summer, Mr. Rous has promoted two schools, and the one which has already been held in the north proved that the clubs had decided that after all it was possible that there was something new about the game.which might be learnt. For the footballer training has always been a form of drudgery, and with the assistance of physical culture experts Mr. Rous has aimed to give it a refreshing interest. It is significant, too, that he has succeeded. Indeed, so impressed were the Arsenal officials with the new methods that they have engaged one of the experts to supervise the work of their players during the first month of training. Mr. Rous is a psychologist, and be believes that the footballer requires mental as well as physical training. The cricketer, he points out, may mako all the strokes at the net, but it does not follow that he can play an innings; the golfer may produce the shots, but only if he can join them together can he play a successful round. Similarly, Mr. Rous contends that ball play does not necessarily make a man a complete footballer. His mind must be attuned to the game, and he regards this as an important factor in its-de; velopment. Perhaps he will, be: able to' convert th" club" tn this vj«»w, just'as' he broke down their.prejudices in regard to his new methods of training.

COACHING PRCPCSAU * w

The New Zealand council's proposal to raise the standard of Soccer in the Dominion by the use of.coaches in the various centres has already led a num-

ber of old players to make application for the positions. The Auckland Association received an'' application last season from an old player ' in' the south, whose experience in English football indicated that he .would be suitable for the position. His application was again considered at a recent meeting of the Auckland control board, says the "Herald," but until 'some concrete proposals are advanced by the New Zealand council, the board decided not to commit itself. '

Peru's entire team at Olympic Games was withdrawn by orders of the Lima Government on August 10, and left Berlin for Paris next day on the way home, reports the London "Daily Express." Earlier the Peruvian Soccer footballers had refused to replay Austria, whom they , claimed to have, beaten already. Anti-German "and ' anti-Austrian demonstrations broke out in Lima on August 10. A crowd stoned the German Consulate, smashed'windows, and destroyed the Olympic flag.' Dockers at 'Calloa struck on German' ships. It was stated that the Peruvian Government was trying to persuade all South Americans to leave Berlin at once. '

These were the latest of a series.'of incidents which' resulted in > serious friction between" competing' nations. Desperate efforts had to be made to bring the Games to an end on Sunday without a major disaster.

When Peru played Austria'- on August 8 they gained a lead of 4-0. But Peruvian spectators invaded the field and attacked the Austrians The match was declared ■ vjid, and it was decided that the game should be replayed, on Monday with no spectators.

Hundreds of armed storm-troopers were posted round the ground. Barricades were erected to keep out raiding parties from South America.

But the Peruvian .team refused to turn out. The match was awarded to Austria, a decision which set Lima ablaze.

Herr Ostern, the representative of the German Olympic committee in Lima, "cabled to Berlin urging that influence be exerted' to induce the federation to ratify the original victory by Peru. Jimmy Hogan,' Aston "Villa's new manager, who was in charge of the Austrian team, said: "I am sick and tired of the whole' business. This is my last appearance in Continental football."

Surprise Omission At sh« American National Track and Field Champion»hip» the lurprise was the pole-vault mcceis of 22-year-old ' George Varoff, of the San Francisco Olympic Club, Varbtt was nearly left at home in Los Angeles, when the Olympic Club found that - the funds ■to send their full team were not forthcoming. But Coach Charlie Hunter, of the Olympic' Club, dug his hand deep down into his own pocket and forked out the price of Varoff's fare. Hunter's faith in Varoff was rewarded when Varoff' set a new world's record for the pale vault with 14ft 6Jin, and took the title of champion of the United States, Varoff's previous best was 14ft 3in made a week before the "U.S.A. championships. ■ Until tms year ne had not touched 14ft in competition. Born in the Hawaiian Islands, of Russian parentage, Varoff got his early tracing at Balboa High School, San Francisco, and had a year at the University of Oregon, before going to ,work as a janitor in an office building this year. Believe it or not,' Vai-off made'the grade in pole-vaulting through lack of money. He turned out for the Balboa High School track teani in'. 1931. All the other boys nicely-spiked shoes. Varoff wore a pair of thick ■rubber-sbled r tennis shoes.. He' 1 had no money to buy the spiked jhoes, so he did the next-best thing—picked an event which did not absolutely require spikes. • So he became a pole-vaulter because of necessity, not fron\ choice.

Dr. D.'R. of Dunedin, has been .elected .honorary coach to the.Scarborough - ; Rugby. Club. Dr. Stevenson,, whoMs- practising in Scarborough, was/full-back in the New Zealand team which visited Australia, in 1926. ;. .■ > : ; i;