SOCCER SIDELIGHTS

NZ Truth, Issue 954, 8 March 1924, Page 9

SOCCER SIDELIGHTS

♦ - . Prospects For The Coming Season Preparing For Visitors. f Although it is comparatively early to discuss Soccer: club prospects, negotiations are under way m regard to possible visits of outside teams. Such matters- involve not only the actual playing of matches, but the all-im-portant aspect of finance. Judging by the keenness with which the coming season is anticipated, monetary difficulties; will not prove an insuperable obstacle to the success which. is hoped for. . . ';■ - . . ■;-- . ■■■.. ■ .;.;' " Exactly when play will commeritjeiis a matter for conjecture, for, as moat local clubs have to depend on grounds now m use for cricket, they .will necessarily need some overhauling after the followers of the bat and. ball .have finished their season. The cricket season closes during the last . week of 1 March or the first week m April, so, allowing a couple of weeks for caretakers of grounds to do their necessary top-dressing, etc., it will be well into the , month before the first games are commenced. ■ In a. chat with the writer this week," Mr 1 . Bert Salmon, ; Secretary of i, the N.Z.F,A., remarked with deep regret that the association's chairman ;(Mr. C.. E. Plqrdham) is a very sick man and it is" very doubtful it the associa r tion will again see this able, and keen sport at the head of its table directing and guiding : thY destinies of Soccer football m New Zealand. Needlese to say, such a loss to the, game, if only temporary, will be keenly felt by all connected with it. All. who know Mr. Fordham will fully realise^ this -when they thihlc of the thirty years he has worked and battled. in the cause of Soccer. Thoroughly conversant with all points of the game, he has been a tower of strength. , v Secretary Salmon states that m all probability a Chinese touring team will visit New Zealand / early m the season. There being no Spccer Association m China, arrangements for the tour have toy be made between Mr. A. Varney, General Secretary of the V.M.C.A. for New Zealand, and Dr. J. H. Gray, Physical Director of the V.M.C.A. movement m the East. Satisfactory arrangements are pending for a visit here of a team of Chinese students, but until after the general meeting of the N.Z.F.A. on April 4 no definite date can be fixed. Although officially denied, reports have reached Dr. Gray that during the tour of the! Chinese team ■ through Australia last season the matcheß were commercialised by certain individuals, while the game itself profited very little by the tour. At all events, such will not be 1 ' the case when a team visits New Zealand for every penny will go towards the improvement of the existing ground and the acquisition of. a. new one. ' ■ ' • ..' .. ; ■.'. .'.-. -..:,. ; it is proposed to hold a series of matches when 'the British battleships' arrive m! New Zealand. The warships are scheduled to arrive on April 24, andy selected teams will; be. matched against the best the vessels can" produce on April 28 and May 5. Seeing that Association football is the game m England, it is more than likely that some good players will be found amongst the men of the visiting squadron. No team from Australia is to visit this country this year, for owing to some misunderstanding between the N.Z. and Australian Associations relations are somewhat strained. As\far back as 1922 negotiations were under way with the Canadian football au-

(Cycle Champion of the Dominion.)

thoritles and arrangements practically completed for a team to visit us. Tho N. 55. Association wished the team to also piny m Australia on Its wuy back, the cost of tho tour to be defrayed by tho two^ countries visited to tho extent of capital outlay m each country. An official was sent from here to Australia, and that association, although pleased with tho suggestion of a Canadian team touring here, could not see its way clear to stand any of the expense involved. It appears that the association here was too confiding and placed all Us cards on the table, and it came rather as a bombshell that the Australian Association had been negotiating on Its own for a team to visit that country. Hence, unless some definite agreement can be arrived at, the prospects of a Canad- ! lan team visiting us this season are very doubtful. •. Arrangements for an English team to come to New Zealand ,, are under way, but whether one can be secured for this season Is very doubtful. It is definitely stated that we can expect such a visit m 1925. Finances for such tours must partly come from club matches, and so, with that end In view, . . tho running of matches will be properly governed from the start, thus putting Soccer football m New Zealand on a stood sound basis. Tho best games hero are undoubtedly club games, 1 oapecinlly m Wellington. At tho present time finances are not too brilliant, there being practically no fixed Income, and at no time during last souboii did the New Zealand Association's finances exceed iHO. Apart from this and donations the cost of tours mwt be

- • • 'J wholly defrayed by grate moneys, CKStham Cup entries, and a percentage of the proceeds of the Brown Shield matches. Money, or rather the lack of it, is the one drawback to the extension of the game m New Zealand. Two notices of motions will be placed before the next meeting:, and, if carried, will tend towards the improvement of the finances. The N.Z.F.A. annual meeting is to be held on April 4. This is slightly earlier than usual on account of work entailed m connection with the forthcoming tours. The work of the association is greatly increasing and it is possible that m the near future a paid secretary will be employed, who can therefore devote more time to its affairs. Mr. Salmon will then act m the capacity of an advisory secretary. The Wellington Football Association's annual meeting is to be held oh March 14, when club fixtures and Chatham Cup matches will be arranged. • The Wellington Watersiders' Club has been unfortunate enough to lose two of its most prominent players. Dan' Jones and Palmer have both left Wellington . and are now m Auckland. •No doubt they will prove useful additions to the northern ranks. 1 There are at present eighteen associations affiliated to the centre, and two more are likely to come m this year. The new associations are Marlborough and the clubs round about Huntly who are seeking separation from the South Auckland Association. There are several points m connection yrith the South Auckland Association which are causing disagreement among the .' clubs \ round Huntly, but it' is doubtful whether all the mining clubs will agree with, the Huntly Club's desire to bfeak. The centre adopted a resolution some time ago that military defaulters should be debarred from playing, and the only association that wouldn't agree with the resolution was the Westland Association at Greymouth. ■ When money comes m, the grounds at South Kilbirnie (Wellington) will receive attention, and can, m time, be made into ideal fields;, but one cannot help casting longing and rather enyious eyes oh a piece of ground opposite Athletic Park. This could be made into great playing fields. The shortage of playing room has not assisted m the progress of the game m several centres. Canterbury have their own grounds m English Park, and now have entered into partnership with the Athletic and Cycling people. With even a small percentage of the gate moneys (which are by no means small) the association should derive enough revenue yearly to cover expenses and maintain grounds. Auckland last year leased a piece of ground and they have now started on its formation and improvement. Being centrally situated, and the game always i ft-awing comparatively large crowds, the Auckland Association should make < a success of their, venture, both financially and for the game. Otago is the only centre that appears to be lagging behind m the matter of grounds* This association made close on £300 out of a sports carnival last October. This m itself should be a nucleus of aground fund, but even then Otago did not go into the affair whole-heartedly, otherwise it is quite possible even better results, would, have been obtained. If only Soccer football can reach the same standard of efficiency m New Zealand as it has m England then we would see some really good games, and such vexed problems as finance would be relegated to the dim and forgotten past. The English Football Association's suite of offices m London prove conclusively how matters stand there m connection with the game. There the heads of the . Soccer firmament sit and issue rules and decrees and associations that buck against these findings are summarily fined. Such things as disputes aro practically unknown. » Owing to the exceptionally wet winter experienced last year, the game m New Zealand did not have the run that was anticipated for it. In Wel.llngton alone a wholo month passed Svithoiit one game being played, and it is estimated that this was instrumental m losing to the Wellington centre at least £160. So, although the prospects this season are brighter, such a deficit means a big handicap.