Association Football.

Woodville Examiner, Volume XIII, Issue 2404, 14 August 1895, Page 4

Association Football.

[Bv Bockeb ] As the Association Tournament is to be played this month is Auckland, perhaps a few particulars regarding the game, and the Tournament, wfil be of interest to your readers. It is a. well-known fact that the game has only recently been introduced into this Colony, and it is also a fact that since its introduction it has made rapid strides, and is daily becoming more popular. Almost every province in the North and South Islands have their Association Football Clubs, Wellington being in the van with no less that eighteen Clubs, with a total membership of about 600. This is the more remarkable when it is remembered that they have all sprung into existence during the last five years, and it is to be noted that they include the youths of the city. All these Clubs are affiliated and governed by an Association called the “ Wellington Football Association,” and the same thing applies to each district where the game is played, all local clubs combining under one Association, so that we have now in New Zealand six such Associations —Canterbury, Otago, Buller, Wellington, Auckland, and last, but not least, the Euahine Association, which embraces the Feilding, Woodville, and Wanganui Clubs. All local Associations are governed by the head body, known as the New Zealand Football Association, whose headquarters are in Wellington, each local Association being represented on its council by one member. The present Tournamant was instituted in 1892, when a handsome and very valuable shield was presented to the Council of the New Zealand Football Association by an enthusiast, which shield is now known as the “ Association Football Challenge Trophy.” The condition of the giit is that the shield has to be competed for annually by a representative team from each district, no Association. being allowed to send more than one team. In 1892 Wellington was the successful team, and held the shield for that season. 1893 saw Auckland the winners, and last year Canterbury was the victor, aud now holds the trophy. This year’s tournament is to be played in Auckland, and the competing teams are : Auckland, Wellington, and Euahine. The matches commence on the 28th inst., on Potter’s paddock, and the Association footballers of New Zewland are watching anxiously for the result. The draw took place in Wellington and Auckland play on the first day, Euahine drawing the bye, so that our Association will have to play in the final match against the winners of the first one. The great drawback to these tournaments in previous years has been the travelling to places so far away as Auckland or Christchurch, and a great fight is now going on to secure centralisation. If the tournament took place in Wellington each year it would be much more advantageous for the majority of the Associations interested, and I have no doubt that in a year or two this question will be settled favorably. The team to represent the Euahine Association is to be selected this week, and will include members of the Woodville, Feilding, and Wanganui teams, and I feel sure that, given a certain amount of luck (which by the way, has been conspicuous by its absence in previous matches played by us) we ought to bring the Association Football Challenge Trophy to this district, although the other competing Associations have numerous advantages over us, Wellington having eighteen Clubs to select from, and Auckland almost as many. We have the material here to work with. All we want is steady practice and training, and we shall give a good account of ourselves.