FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13268, 29 August 1906, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

AUCKLAND v. Wellington on Saturday next. St. John's Collegiate School Old Boys' Association will play the annual football match against the school fifteen at three o'clock this afternoon at the- Pah, Oneluinga. In the evening there will be a reunion dinner at the sehoolhouse. Owing to the Franklin Rugby Union cancelling their fixture with the Wednesday Rugby Union at short notice, no fixtures under the Wednesday Union will be played to-day. The Wednesday Union fifteen will play the Rotorua representatives at Rotorua this day week. The team will be picked on ThursIt is calculated that nearly £10,000,000 is paid each year in salaries to British football professionals. Present indications point to a strong forward division being got away with the Otago team on its tour of the North, but owing to the University team being engaged in playing Sydney University at Dunedin the back division will be weak. Even should the dates of the Otago and Sydney University matches not clash with the Otago representative team's tour it is unlikely that any of the student footballers will make the trip. A memory of the football match, New Zealand v. Wales, played last year, turned up at the premises of a Wellington firm, last week. On a case of ironmongery being opened, a largo sheet of brown paper bearing the following lettering was brought to light:—"Notice.— To whoever opens this case : This case was made on December 16. 1905, the same day that New Zealand played Wales at Cardiff. —Signed, Archie Jones. Good old Wales!" The goods with which this document arrived were consigned to Wellington by a Cardiff firm. Albion Football Club, the champion club of Christchurch, proposes arranging a match with Sydney University, to Ik 1 played at Lancaster Park in September. The Poneke Club (Wellington) lias also written inviting the University team to play a match with them during theii visit to New Zealand. As Auckland City Club wants a return match, it. will be seen that the Sydney University team is in request in New Zealand. From what one can gather, however, the contract they have on hand at Dunedin is quite sufficient for the present (says a Sydney writer). Sydney University's position in respect to the Sydney premiership is now hopeless; indeed, the probabilities arc that, they will not gain a place in the semi-finals (says the Sydney Referee). In the circumstances the club has asked the Metropolitan Rugby Union to permit it to withdraw from the competition in order to pay the visit to New Zealand. It is a pity that, so many prominent members of the club are disabled or on the sick list, as it is likely to affect their strength on the tour in New Zealand. All over the country balance-sheet compilers (according to the Athletic News) state with silvery eloquence the advantages which the Fernlanders from New Zealand conferred upon the coffers of international, county, and merely common clubs by their visit to Rugby centres last season. Tin." other day the balance-sheet of the Welsh Rugby Union for the season 1905-6 was issued by the secretary, .Mr. Walter Rees, and it conveys the fact that the funds of the union, after payment of all outstanding liabilities, show a "total credit balance of £3395, and this after a sum of £1400. bad been expended on the erection of additional stands for the international matches at the Cardiff Arms Park. A sum of £500 has also been distributed during the year in various grants and charities. The players who secured the triple crown honours for the Principality in 1905 were given mementoes of their victories at a cost of £88. The best "gate" realised by the Welshmen during last season was £2652, in the New Zealand match, the colonials receiving half of the gross "gate." Mr. J. C. Garden, a well-known old Rugby Union footballer in South Africa, who still takes an active interest in the game and has for a number of years held the position of president of the Eastern Province Football Union, has been approached with regard to allowing himself to be nominated as" manager to the South African Rugby team proceeding to England this year. Mr. Garden has consented, to this, provided it is the unanimous desire of the various associations that, he should go.