ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1328, 4 January 1912, Page 5

ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL.

DELEGATE BACK FROM SYDNEY.

Interviewed on his return yesterday from the Association Football Conference, held in Sydncrreccntlv, Now Zea..' ' land's delegate, Mr. B. L. Salmon, secretary of tho N.Z.F.A., was optimistic regarding the'progress of the game in the Australian States. He said that the Aus-' tralasian delegates present at the-cou-fcrence were a business-like set of men, who had the interest and progress of tho Association game at heart. The measures brought forward were debated thoroughly. - '. ::':.: • When asked whether (as an' outcome of tho conference) there was any chance of a visit being paid to- Australia- a'nd"NewZealand by an English team, Mr. Salmon replied that it 'had been decided-.": to ask the Football Association (London) what terms thev would require to send a team out. Messrs. Lynch (sccretarv of tho New South Wales Football Assdciation), and Mr. Salmon have drawn up. a scheme by which the necessary guarantees for such a visit could bo.obtained../ in three years. . This would bo put be--'-fore the New Zealand Football Coun-'' c-il.

Private information which • had been received from London stated that during a recent interview .Mr.. Wall,•■secretary of tho Football' Association; London, had said that ho believed that the Football ■• Association would send'a first-class. team out to Australia and New Zealand if . expenses could be guaranteed.." It .'is,' thought in "soccer" football circles at Home that, seeing that tho Football Association had. (spent something like. .t'L'PfJO,in "missionary--- work- on-the- Continent, it was time for them. to. turn, •their-.' iit-,. tcntiqn to Australasia. . " ■~,"; [ Asked. as to • the • probability of a '.New* South. Wales team, visiting these shores; shortly, Mr. Salmon-stated that the-New South Welshmen were desirous of visiting New. Zealand next season. The team would be a much superior one to -that which came across in 1901. _ ... One direct result of the conference was tho fact, that home, and homo matches would lie played between tho different States in the Commonwealth, commencing this season. Boys' football "was'one of the main subjects brought up for die- • cussion, and it was resolved to push forward the gamo in the schools. In addition to Mr. Salmon, . other speakers were optimistic respecting the , future of the "soccer" game. At the leccption accorded the visiting delegates at ■'" tho Sports Club, Sydney, Mr. 13. T. Swannoil, who toured New Zealand with '.. Bedell-Sivwright's English Rugby team' in 1901, wont so far as to say that he firmly believed that the Association gamo would become the world's winter pastime. Association football already had a fum hold on the Continent, of Europe, and was rapidly spreading to other countries. Continuing, the speaker said that l.c had noticed that, when tho Football Association (London) made a rule, every association throughout the world abided by that rulo until an alteration was deemed necessary by the Football Association. This was not the case with tho Rugby game. When (ho question'of New Zealand's action in not joining the Australian Board of Control was touched on by the reporter, Mr. Salmon stated that he preferred not to mention anything about it until ho had put the wholo rjuestion be-', . fore his council. - , • ■ » Tho next Australasian. Conference is, to take place in Sydney, during Foster, 1911.