Leaves Of A Sportfolio

Taranaki Daily News, 24 June 1935, Page 14

Leaves Of A Sportfolio

A SSOCIATION football in New Zealand greatly needs the stimulus of a visit by a good team from, overseas. I cannot write on this subject from direct observation of the game in recent years, but opinions expressed to me at different times by competent judges, and the reading of reports of club and representative matches, have indicated that some degree of selfcomplacency among administrators. .or Association football in the Dominion has hindered the progress of the sport and the raising of its standard of play. It is, I. suggest, this degrees of self-, complacency which permits the existence of so many club teams styled firstgrade in the Dominion’s cities. Obviously, there is no city in New Zealand large enough to produce eight or more Association football club teams really worthy of being classed as firstgrade. * * *

There is room in New Zealand for Association football of a fairly high standard, as well as for' attractive Rugby Union and Rugby League football and for hockey. The Association game needs a visit from an overseas team of good quality not only to revitalise it directly but also to Provide some standard of comparison with the progress made in such football m other countries. So it is pleasing that the council of the New Zealand .Football Association contemplates inviting the Iridian Football Association to send a team to this Dominion. If. the proposal is carried into effect the extension of a series of visits in which Australian, Canadian, and Chinese teams haVe participated should be. both agreeable and useful. «• * ' *

Of course, a visit by a good-class English or Scottish team would do more than anything else of the kind to stimulate Association football in New Zealand.’ I am not sure that the possibilities of a visit by such a team have been explored properly. Overtures have been made to the Football Association of England, I know, but I fancy that the men who have initiated these negotiations have been obsessed a little too much with the idea of obtaining a professional teajn for the tour. The season of professional football m Great Britain is so long, and its engagements are so heavy, that no team of professionals can spare the time to

come to this side of the world. .1 may be wrong, but my impression is that insufficient consideration has been given to the possibilities of a tour bya team of good English amateurs. The best amateur Association football in Great Britain is very much better than ■ our own, arid a carefully-selected team could do much for the game here. *** . ■ Association football is so much more , a world-game than Rugby that the infrequence of visits to Australia and New Zealand by teams from other countries is a little surprising.. The prominence of professionalism in the game is only partly a reason for that infrequence—a reason only insofar as it leads administrators thinking l of the subject a little too much; into viewing it as one concerning professionals more than amateurs. Actually there are very many more amateurs than professionals. The number of - countries from which, amateur teams very much better than any that New Zealand could put into the field should not be so small as the arrangements of visits to New Zealand indicates. One difficulty, no doubt, is that of ensuring that such visits would pay for themselves; the New Zealand oublic in general probably has little idea of the standard of amateur Association football in other countries, and perhaps would not be easy to persuade of the attractiveness. of the teams which might be obtainable from them.

Now that the council of the New Zealand Football Association has been led into considering the question of inciting a team from India it should think of trying to settle a policy in respect: of visits by other teams. For instance, it copld well give a little time to ascertaining Whether or not a South Afri-. can team could be obtained for 1938, so that advantage could be taken of the interest which will be aroused by a visit of a South African Rugby team in 1937. In the meantime, the proposal to invite a team from India certainly is comriiendable. - AL.C.