SOCCER

Southland Times, Issue 19823, 20 March 1926, Page 4

SOCCER

MATAURA CLUB. ANNUAL MEETING. (From Our Correspondent.) The annual meeting of members of the I Mataura Association Football Club was held ‘ in the Coronation Hall on Thursday, Mr H. j A. Brownsey presiding over a good attendI a nee of members. Messrs J. Hart, J. Robson and G. Cullen forward apologies. [ The committee, in its annual report, I stated that although the club had only ! been in existence for one season it had ! a credit balance of £8 8/10, which was regarded as being very satisfactory. The i club was inaugurated late last season, and i owing to the lateness it was only able to I enter a team for one of the competitions. • In this competition the team acquitted itself ! well, and succeeded in reaching the semiI finals. Several friendly matches were play- ! ed and with the exception of one game all lof these were won by the team. Two 'players succeeded in gSning representative I honours with the Southland team, viz., A. I Todd and G. Cullen, and the committee ; compliments these players on their success, j The chairman, in commenting on the • report and balance sheet, said that Soccer I had only been going for one season. The I statement was very creditable when they . considered that Soccer was only being intro- ! duced into the Eastern District. It would take some time for the code to get settled and to make any appreciable progress. The club had started late in the season and had been lucky in getting into the semifinal for the Invercargill Challenge Cup. The committee hoped to be able to enter the team for all the competitions under the auspices of the Southland Football Association. They were indebted to the Hockey Club for coming forward and allowing them permission to play on the playing area. The Hockey Club had again come forward for this season and the j Soccer team would have the use of the ’ ground until the Borough Council could I see its way to extend the Domain. ■ The report and balance sheet were adoptI ed on the motion of Messrs J. Hardy and H. R. Brownsey. The election of officers resulted as follows President, Mr H. A. Brownsey ; vicepresidents, Messrs W. Buchanan, D. Daly, G. Cullen and A. N. Mac Gibbon; secretary and treasurer, Mr J. Westlake; committee, Messrs J. Robson, J. Heslin, J. Hart. J. Buchanan, and H. Thomson; patrons, Hon. G. J. Anderson, Messrs F. W. Mitchell, C. W. Rattray, T. Somerville, H. L. Dolamore, C. D. McConnell and W. Morley; delegates to Southland Football Association, Messrs H. A. Brownsey, W. Buchanan, G. Cullen and J. Hardy. The matter of securing the interest of the local school in the code was discussed, j and Mr R. McDonald stated that the club would find itself facing a very hard proposition as none of the teaching staff knew anything about the code, and there was no competition in the Eastern District for the boys. The interest of all the schools in the district would have to be enlisted to do any good. The boys at present played Rugby for the school and they had a chance of getting into the Eastern District team or even the Southland team with a possibility of a trip. The Rugby team supplied a coach for. the boys, and if the Soccer Club desired to awaken interest it would also have to provide a coach. The chairman thought the time was not ripe for taking any action towards introducing the game into the schools, and the matter was dropped. The membership fee was fixed at 5/-. The advisability of changing the club’s colours was brought up, and it was decided to take no action pending the meeting of the Southland Football Association. The opening day was fixed for the second Saturday in April.