FOOTBALL

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume X, Issue 480, 5 October 1899, Page 7

FOOTBALL

[By

Vigilant.]

ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL. This game, although so popu ar in England, is, comparatively speaking, very little known in Auckland, but during the past season it has made great strides. A Referees’ Association having been formed has helped the game a great deal; also, too much prsiee cannot he given to the men who have stood by the game and done all they could to encourage the b ys and young men of Auckland to take up association football. I refer to such men as Messrs A Heather, Dacre, and Rees-Geprge, who have helped the associa-

tion both pecuniarily and otherwise. Association football was started in Auckland about 1885 by the Y.M C A., when such clubs as the Rangers, Saracens, Links, North Shore, and Ellerslie existed. The Saracens held premier place, with Mr T. F. Upfill as their captain. They won the championship two years in succession. Since then the game has not made very great strides, but the past season showed that quite a large amount of interest was being taken in it. The association has been severely handicapped in not having a ground of their own on which they could not only make a charge for admission, but could play for a longer season. A big effort, should be made to secure a ground before next winter, so that when the. Sjuthern teams come up to compete in the tournament the association will be able to reap the benefit of the gate money. That association football is going ahead there can be no doubt. In Wellington over thirty teams have been playing this past season, and they could have had more, but there is no ground for them to play cn. Here we have only five senior clubs at present, although next season there will be eight at least. The additions means that the association must have another ground besides the Domain. The annual ball of the Cambridge Football Club took place in the Oddfellows Hall, Cambridge, on Wednesday evening last week, and was in every respect most successful. The ball was largely attended, there being a considerable number of visitors from the surrounding districts. The decorations, though not of an elaborate description, were very pretty, and consisted mainly of flowers and evergreens, tastefully disposed around the walls and on the stage, whilst the club’s banner hung gracefully in a conspicuous position. The floor was perfect for dancing, and the music, in the capable hands of

Mr Chas. Stuart, was all that could be desired. The supper provided by the ladies was of a most sumpiuous and recherche character, and was presided over by Mrs Madigan and the ladies’ committee, whose efforts were keenly appreciated. A meeting of the committee of the Otago Rugby Union, attended by Messrs Gallaway (president), Campbell, Duncan, Strong, and Hutchison, was held last week. The sub-com-mittee appointed to inquire into the complaint lodged by Mr Allan Johnston of incivility on the part of gatemen at the Cdedonian Ground submitted their report, the effect of which was that the evidence did not show that the language used by the gitemen was not justified Ft was decided to apply to the New Zealand Union for the O.R F.U.’s proportion (£lO 7s) of the levy that was made i i 1895. Letters were read from the Canterbury Rugby Union and from the Stirling Football Club enclosing remittances for £22 3s and £3 5s 6d respectively in aid of the Armit fund.