SOCCER TO BE PREMIER GAME IS PROPHECY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17830, 26 April 1926, Page 5

SOCCER TO BE PREMIER GAME IS PROPHECY.

POPULARITY GROWING WITH IMMIGRATION Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, April 26. The annual meeting of the New Zealand Football Association opened today, the Hon C. E. Statham presidin. lie congratulated the association on its work, especially with regard to oversea visits, and expressed appreciation of the encouragement given the game in the schools. lie regretted the number of suspensipns during the scaMr Varney, in moving the adoption of the annual report, said that there had been 501 teams in the field. an increase of 11 per cent. He believed that before long it would be the premier game of New Zealand Soccer's popularity was stimulated by immigration. It was wrong for Soccer to be held back in the schools by the will of the headmasters. The country should not be dependent on the visits of Scottish and English teams for the development of the game. Efforts to obtain a visit from an international team had broken down. A proposal was made for a Scottish team to come to New Zealand. The association would pay the expenses from Glasgow to Glasgow, plus an amount for out-of-pocket expenses. An offer had been received from Australia for a team to visit the Dominion for seven weeks, in return for 25 per cent of the profits.