SOCCER

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 25 July 1925, Page 12

SOCCER

(By “Centre Half.”) Instead of continuing th© articles this week, which would have been •‘The Half-backs,” I intend to deal with matters locally, and will pick up the articles next week. Unfortunately, there wer© no Association games played in South Taranaki last Saturday. It was a pity, because it was .such an ideal day for football. However, the “wise heads” knew best, and tliev deemed a spell necessary. Possibly" after the strenuous game at \Vanganui th© week before, and the fact that entries were being received lor the Chinese Citizens’ Cup, accounted for the break in the fixtures. I hear that the T.F.A. held a meeting during the week, and a considerable amount of “hot air” was let on. This should not be. In the management committee of the Taranaki body there are many very good and capable officers, and it is a pity if they are o-oing to squabble over trivial matters; it will not help the game along the right lines. I trust that the good feeling alwavs manifested in the T.F.A. will continue, and peace and quietness will reign supreme. The draw resulted in the junior team meeting New Plymouth at Hawera, and in my mind it is a suicidal attempt to encourage the northern club’s team to visit Hawera and pit them against our juniors. The boys possiblj have anv chance with the New Plymouth team, and it is not a very complimentarv act to ask them to play them. The .boys are good, and deserve every encouragement in the game, hut that does not alter the fact that they should not be eligible for the Chinese Cup. I expect this will evoke much criticism, and the authorities may say, “If they cannot play in this cup who are they going to play?” The time is ripe for the round ball game to bo taught in our public schools at Taranaki. It has been said that when this movement- was brought forward some time ago that some of the headmasters in certain schools protested against “soccer” being taught in their school. Now I don’t for one minute think that that is correct in every detail, because it is being taught and played in a great number of schools already in other parts of New Zealand with success. Naturally, proper representation should be made to the Education Department, for permission to teach those boys who arc keen on learning the English game after school hours, and I am sure that very few masters would prevent their boys from playing a good, clean, scientific game,, acknowledged by the world to be a manly recreation. No! There arc too many folio vet s of the gam© who say we ought to do this and that, but if they “woke up” and we tit- about it in the right way there wouhl be few obstacles in their way. I brought up this subject to one of the Central Committee only this week, and lie agreed with me that it was a matter worthy of very serious consideration. It is the schools that furnish the players of all our national games, and if we sit hack and don’t follow the lead of other centres we will never progress, in the game in Taranaki.' We have any amount of enthusiasts and old players who would give a little time in_coaching the schoolboys if the idea was taken up seriously. Admitted that Rugby is the national game of New Zealanders, there is plenty of room for two games, and far better that the boys should be given the opportunity >of learning the game properly than have to pick it up such as our junior club has done. This is, then, the only remedy for the ,T.F.A. on the much-discussed - question of finding opponents for our junior players. Perhaps an abler pe ntham mine shall take this matter up, and wake the authorities in this district up from their Rip Van Winkle slumbers! Whether the T.F.A. has done the right thing in connection with the Chinese Clip or not remains to he seen.

CHINESE CITIZENS’ CUP. The entries for the Chinese Citizen’s Cup are not considered satisfactory by any- means. Still, as previously' stated, wo ar e having a lean year in Soccer circles, and we must he satisfied. Six teams have entered and the result bears a very open appearance. Surprise has been expressed that the Hawera junior team’s nomination was accepted, and quite a good deal of comment on the matter is heard. I thoroughly understand, that they have every right to‘challenge, according to the rules governing its competition. Still, one cannot help but think that it is a very -wrong move of the T.F.A.