ASSOCIATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 526, 5 June 1909, Page 12

ASSOCIATION.

(By Cemrf-HaliF.)

•:'The recent moyes 0n , ., the Senior-League First' Divisiori.score-board have left the position at date highly interesting, for,, with five"matches: gone, .tliroe.jteams—Y.M.C.A., DianibndSj'.'and. Swifts-fstahd on equal terms for, premiership, honours. .The recent changes have been:fast,; Three'weeks l ago Diamonds appeared .to have a .firm lead,: but they'-.were ousted'fromVpride : !ofJplao'e, -and.■ YiM.C.A,.' stood at the;top,:whilst-liow; _ ':as''a ! result of last Saturday's 'series of 'games,; Swifts have come-into the running,' and the three teams mentioned abovei, -stand .'level.; . The; position is, such ae.'to lend : special .interest to the' next , few games,' -more especially-in view' of the: recent performances- of St. John's and Rovers: ': : \ l v-.:: .'.'.'•i ' ■'. : .\". .'"• i.:' .--'•/.•■' : : .. IThe.Wellington Football Association's request; to. the . % Otago Association' to .'send :a. boys'; team to .AVellington has 'been favour- . ably"-. oonsidered; by the southern body, and has been referred to' a subcommittee..for report. . Should the Dunedin, boys come up the looal. boys' sub-committee ;are propared >to give thema.good time, and satisfactory :arrangements made to put the visi..torsiup. . ;V:--..V's',,:/>' •-.' ''■'/■ • " -.- ■ ': Mr.. F.'L, ,o',C6nnell, a prominent member of the.Referees' Association, has formed a-team of boys at Island Bay, and.has-made arrangements for a ground at the "Bay for them, to play 'on. With-enthusiasts working 'individually,,., and, tho. boys' Bufccommitteo .Joing their./.utmost, the boys, are,not: likely .ib' , fall; away.7 .';:.:;:• '■':.'',. : :'- ii' :;:i,; : -' '"'■ ■■ . iln future,. , any. postponements or alteratipria ofimatohes wul be notified in Mr; Perrett's" (chemist) window, Newtown each Saturday, so that players working or living; at the southern end of the town, may aware' of ■ changes in time to prevent incon.venience. .";'';■; ; ..:: v , " : - : "■'. ; ■-.-; ', V The sooner senior, matohes.can be played at Duppa Street 'ground -the bettor,'.because, those matohes that aro being played at Miramar are being spoiled by tho smallness of the' grounds. As a matter of. fact;, it•Uβ quite impossible for/a forward lino to show any decent football at. all on these small grounds. "A-'me'mber- of tho Ground Committee was ; oyor tho Duppa Street ground recently, and reports'that it is in verygcodorder, and some excellent football should be soen on it. ■:''■"''-:' : '■' ' : /, '.{_ Four challenges have beon received for theBrown Shield this season, Taranakij Canterbury:" Auckland, and Hawko's Bay having each intimated a desire to take ~the_ trophy away -from .the' ; looal association.-- If- Wellington- can hold'the shield for at least,three of the games' we ; ought to'iee sonie specially good "soccer", hero this # season,; but the Management Committoo will bo hard pressed to make tho necessary arrangements for a ground to" play-these matches on. Tho New Zealand Association, has decided that the first gamo against Taranaki must be played on."or before July 17. .' ■■ - „ _. • ■' Tho annual meeting of the New Zealand Football' Association . was conduotoir on thorough business-like lines by Holmes (vice-president> oil Monday ■ night, and, although there was a fair amount of business, it was ; handled with promptitude. t The most important business was the now rules for future competition fnr the Brown Shield. Withono or two slight alterations they wero passed as originally drawn up by the secretary. This moans that the Brown, Shield will. now l>e competed -for aSj a ■ Challenge Shield undor similar conditions to the Ranfurly Shield in Rueby.football. , ,' ' - Mr. B. Ij. Salmon was unanimously reelected lion, seoretary, and Mr.,L. Whitoj an Otago delegate, and another ex-Swifts man, was elected hon. treasurer, in plnco of Mr. G. XJron, who has beon transferred to Auckland. Mr. Salmon and Mr. Wihito havo beeni togothor before ns executive, officers of the Wellington Swifts Club, so they should work well together -in harness at headquarters. Tho formation of a New Zealand Referees' Association was roforred to a sub-committee to draw up rules and report to a future meet. ing of the council

The delegates had & knotty point to deoide in an appeal forwarded from the Otago Football Association. Briefly the facts are that during the course of the Maori HillKartangata match the referee accidentally blew his whistle. Kaitangata wont on playing and scored a goal, while Maori Hill stopped play. Tho result of tho game was three goals oach. The Otago Football' Association ordered tho game to. bo replayed, and the Maori Hill Club appealed against this decision, asking that tho goal be disallowed. The whom point was: Was the referee correct in awarding a goal on a question of fact in that he had not stopped tho play, or had he mado a mistake in not re-starting play in tho proper manner after the Whistlo had blown ? The latter view was taken by the majority of the delegates, and tfhe' Otago Association's decision was upheld. A correspondent writes an indignant letter complaining of the action of the Rugby Union in reference to its ground at Newtown Park. "Saturday after Saturday," says the correspondent, "tho Rugby side of the ground lies idle, and I understand,that the-'Rugger , management will not pky games 'on the ground because they are not certain that in the event of Tain they will be able to use it. The Association Grounds Committee is willing to draw fixtures for this-ground, aria is anxious to use it if the Rugby TJnion will not-do so. As a. matter of faot, the Association, Management Committee 'W approached the union.in reference to the matter. out'can get no,reply."" "I write this letter, the correspondent concludes, "in the hope that the attention ofja true sportsman —'his Worship the Mayor—himself a Riigby enthusiast, or one of bis' councillors may see it, and put a stop to what appears to , be tie dog m the manger , attitude of the Rugby Union in.drawing matches for ;the 'ground for one reason only, apparently, to keep the 'Soccer , game off it." " . - .'■■': ~ Apropos of the confusion resulting from the transfer of'games from the city reserves to Miramar this season on account of the ram, the following from tho, "Athletic News! , ' is; of interest:—The questions of the postponement and abandonment of games are generally'.'matters .'.of .great difficulty to rererees, and probably a disenssion of ' the points of difficulty may be helpful to referees, and assist the, public to weigh up and satisfy themselves or the reasonableness of a referee's action. There,are no.univeral rulealaid down for the guidance of referees. ..' ;■' . .Stress of weather must bo considered from two points, flwt the danger to the health of the players, and second, resultant unfitness of the ground. Let me remind, spectators that tho grand-etand ia not ithe best placei to judge .the action of a referee, who has to find the reasonable mean between the unnecessary stoppage, of games, and the unwise and unfair continuance of them; Gen- , erally speaking, the referee is in the same boat ae the players, if I except the. goalkeepers. In some senses he is worse; in some bettor.' The moment tho reforoe realises the stress of weather is a eorious menace to the players it is his duty to abandon the game., In a sense, he'is the protector of the' health' of the players : V He. should be no party a brutal continuance", of play under conditions loo: severe for human beings; at the same timo>he must remember that flayers are trained athletes, who have no \right to cry out like spoiled'children because tho. weather is ■ bad. And now for a final word, tho officials of the.'game should not seek, or", be prejudioed hy, the, opinions of interested parties.' They are the judges of the conditions, and of .their fitness : or othefwise, and-must, not-shirk their respons'ibilitieii''. . . •'-''.•:■••'■. :.'.'^;v ;i : . ■< - '-.

At a recent football reception ifl- Sydney/ quite, a number of speakers referred to the o|everness and beauty of the British Association game. It was left, however (says the "Sydney Morning''Herald'. , ); to Mr. E. S. Marks,.secretary of the Amateur' Athletio Union.of' Australasia, whd has just returned from a trip abroad, to convey some idea'of the universality, of the game. Hβ said that, although he had seen one or two'games of "soccer! played in.tyw South .Wales, no never, understood, what a'great game! Association football was; until he visited Great-.Britain and Europe..o "It. was. an'eye-opener to see the way' foreign countries oKadjtakon.-on |to tho round-ball gamo. No, matteri-what'place you' visit ■ you. see the. gamp, played,';; especially in Belgium,' llolland,.'Germany, tria, France, and ev«n in Switzerland, Spain, and Portugal; it has taken*a strong-hold and. is,well supported by:the public. Hl)uring : my /visit I saw a number of games being played, in Belgium, and in most'countries you 'see schoolboys playing on open greens or even'inthe side streets. The game on the Continent is purely amateur, and under strict control. According to advices, an International Union of Amateur, ;Football Associations has t .been formed, 'consisting "of a' dozen ■■. Continental associations and TSnglish... "While in' Great Britain, I; saw the _ amateur, ~ gamo played-at, the. Stadium., by,'different foreign nations, and I also visited a number of matches by leading' professional clubs. '.. I ;nover in-my life' saw so much, excitement over a game:- To get a view you'had to go . early, as the attendance was very- lare;e at all matches. Although all my life a followed of the 'Rugby' game,; I was worked up , ' to concert pitdh by the skill displayed in the different matches I witnessed.' ..' ' , ■'• : - : ;