HIEN’S HOCKEY FANS RAISE THEIR PROTEST

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 671, 24 May 1929, Page 15

HIEN’S HOCKEY FANS RAISE THEIR PROTEST

ALLOCATION of areas at remuera ground IS BONE OF CONTENTION By “OLD PLATER.” rr> the face of a serious shortage of playing areas, the hockey game among men in Auckland would battle along quite quietly except for one hitch, and that is with the fans. Deprived of seating accommodation and the cover of a grandstand they are raising their collective voices t» the heavens in murmurings of disapproval of the scant consideration shown the Auckland Men's Hockey Association by the Girls* Athletic Association, in the allocation of grounds at Remuera. The average enthusiast prefers the -lashing type of game imbued with all possible dash and vim, and it takes the men hockey players to produce this. That, df course, is only natural. Consequentlj', Saturday after Saturday the feature game staged by the Men’s Association at the Remuera Hockey Grounds attracts a fair attendance, which crowds round the field sometimes three deep. But in the allocation of grounds the Girls’ Athletic Association does not favour the men with the main playing area and tnus the spacious grandstand on the grounds is left empty, while close handy, the fans stodge about in the wet and shiver with the biting winter cold to watch the men’s games in action. On the opening day of the season the chief attraction among the men was favoured with a large crowd which stood along the sideline. A girls* game on the stand ground was played in the presence of one old lady, and it .annot be truthfully observed that it was even viewed by her, for the best part of her time she was knitting. However, she was there, and needless to say no one got trampled In the rush as the attendance left the ground from that game. The Auckland Girls’ Athletic Association or the Auckland Ladies’ I-lockey Association (they appear to be different bodies in name only) is the lessee of the ground, and in spite of the fact that the men’s hockey pay a stiff rent, it steps in and collects the gate each Saturday. Without the men’s games the gate would probably not be worth collecting. But. of course, the Auckland Hockey Association is in desperate straits as far as playing areas are concerned, and really have no option but to submit to any proposals the girls’ sports body may make. But where the Girls’ Athletic Association makes a mistake is in the fact that by not allotting the grandstand area to the men on some occasions at least, it is turning many fans away and consequently spoiling its chief source of revenue. Fans cannot be expected to do a shiver out in the wet and and cold, especially when they are tantalised by an empty grandstand which they could well use, but for the sake of a little lack of foresight. In the better days, when the Auckland Men’s Hockey Association had full control of the Remuera grounds, it was a common occurrence each season to stage a seven-a-side tournament on June 3, all players as well as the spectators paid for admission. Of course, in those times tlio association got the gate and this annual tourney assisted the funds of the association materially. But now that the Girls’ Athletic Association is in charge of the grounds it intimated that the same proceedure should take place on the forthcoming June 3 and that those who are going to provide the entertainment should pay for admission. Under the circumstances the men have therefore arranged for their annual seven-a-side tournament to take place on Saturday, June 1.