Church in Sport

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1021, 11 July 1930, Page 8

Church in Sport

BAPTIST TABERNACLE | FOUNDED SOCCER CLUB

A SPORTING PASTOR A fine example of the work of the Church in apert ia seen in the Metropolitan Association Football Club of the present time, the offspring of the Tabernacle Club of other days in Auckland Soccer. The history of the club will be told in the sports edition of The Sun tomorrow evening—the twelfth of the series of articles on tho histories of the best known clubs in Auckland’s three football codes which has been appearing in the sports edition weekly. The Rev. Joseph Clark, pastor of the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle, was one of the keenest followers of the round ball game in Auckland in its early days.

Tho Tabernacle team first came into Auckland playing ranks in 1599. Mr. F. N. Andrews being another of the chief sponsors of the club. He was one of the foremost lay workers for the Tabernacle, and can claim to be the senior active club officer among the clubs of Auckland at the present time.

Among th© men of note who have played for Tabernacle is Mr. A. Hall Skelton, the Auckland solicitor. The Baker brothers and the Clark brothers, sons of Pastor Clark, were also prominent Tabernacle players of other daj's. Breaking away from the Tabernacle Club in 1910, a group of players formed the Evertor? Club, which had a brilliant career in football ranks, winning tho senior championship for two years in succession.

When the present pastor of the Tabernacle, the Rev. Joseph Kemp, took over his post, the Tabernacle Club changed its name to Metropolitan, but continued in every other respect as tho Tabernacle Club.

In addition to interesting reminiscences of the past in Soccer, the story will feature pictures of old-time teams and prominent players of the Tabernacle, Everton and Metropolitan teams.