FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 3436, 18 May 1898, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

Tho annual meeting of the New Zealand Football Association was held at tho Colonial Mutual Life offices on Monday night, when the following report was presented by the hon treasurer (Mr A. E. Gibbs) :• — Owing to the much-to-be-lamented death of my late co-officer, Mr Alex. Henderson, it falls to my lot this year to present the annual report of the Association, and in doing so, first mention should properly be made of the enormous loss which this Association, and, indeed. Association football throughout this colony, has sustained through Mr Henderson’s premiture decease. His heart and soul were in the game, and he gave his time and best work ungrudgingly to promote its interests. How difficult it will be to find a successor who can and will devote the time to worthily take up the role of following him as secretary, only those who were intimately associated with him can guess. At the latter end of last season a game was played in Wellington between the local representative team and a team representing the Euahine Association, which Association, however, is not yet affiliated to this Association. The Wellington Association resolved, in a thoroughly sportsmanlike way, to hand over the Challenge Shield to this team for the year, should they win, which, to the surprise of the cognoscenti, they did by three goals to one. It is now, therefore, to be hoped that they will this season be in a position to affiliate with us, and send a team to defend their title to the shield at the tournament which will probably be held in Wellington towards the end of the season. It is much to be regretted that neither Auckland nor Otago was represented at the tournament last year, but it is almost certain that both will have strong teams to play for the shield this season. The news from Otago is particularly good, and I learn, inter alia, that they are now at last in a position to discharge their liability to the Auckland Association, which has been allowed to remain too long unpaid. Our late secretary, iu accordance with the instructions of the council, opened up communications with the New South Wales and Queensland Associations with a view to our sending a team to Australia this season, but, unfortuuately, received very little encouragement from the Sydney people, although the Brisbane secretary hailed the suggestion with delight. Until there is a vital change of management in Sydney, I fear that it will be impossible to carry out this project, but it should certainly be kept steadily in view, as there is no doubt that it would give the game in this colony a fillip such as it has never yet received. The following officers were elected: — Patron, the Eight Hon the Earl of Eanfurlyj president, the Hon Sir Kobert Stout j vice-presidents, A. Heather (Auckland), B. W. Andrews (Wanganui). C. i H. Izard (Wellington), T. Maude (Christ- ■ church) and Hon Geo. McLean (Dunedin) j i hon secretary, P. J. Courtney j hon 1 treasurer, Arthur E. Gibbsauditors, J, i A. McKinnon and M- Fraser,