Association Football.

Free Lance, Volume I, Issue 52, 29 June 1901, Page 21

Association Football.

[By Goalkeepbe.]

As a result of the recent visit of the Duke, several clubs suffered slightly. The Red Cross, who played Swifts on the previous Saturday, had to play minus the services of four men, who were absent working on illuminations, etc. I congratulate the Association on obtaining the distinguished patronage of His Royal Highness the Duke of York and Cornwall. At a meeting of the Management Committee of the Wellington Football Asscoiation, the secretary was instructed to write to His Royal Highness, asking him to accept the position of patron of that body. The secretary received a reply the following day from Sir Arthur Bigge, stating that, whilst it is not usual for His Royal Highness' patronage to be granted to such bodies, he would be glad to mark the visit to the colony by acceding to the request. Otago and Auckland are negotiating an early match, to be played in Dunedin. From private sources I learn that Auckland asked for £20 of the gate as part payment of the expenses of the trip. In terms of a resolution of Mr. M. Fraser, formerly a delegate to the Wellington Football Association, and a member of its Management Committee, a representative match is to be arranged for each centre every year, and the home team is to finance its own match. Naturally, Otago is anxious for a match in their province before the Rugby interprovincial matches start, and hence their early arrangements with their antagonists in Auckland for a game. I learn, from private- sources, that Mi Mackie, the Otago representative, is not the man that should fill such an important position for Ins province His arrangements, as voiced by the Otago representative team of last season, were not by any means satisf actors', and re-

suited in a lot of bungling, caused through rushing things at the last minute. The Wellington Football Association has lost for the present season one of its vice-presidents, in the person of Mr. A. E. Gibbs, who, last Saturday, left for England, where he is to undergo a medical operation in connection with an internal complaint. On Ins way Home, he will stop at Sydney and Melbourne, and will call on the respective Associations with reference to the proposed visit of the two English professional teams to the colonies. He is to ask them, and also obtain Western Australia's permission, to allow him to act as their delegate to the Home Association, thus bringing more influence to bear in connection with his object to have New Zea and visited by these professional teams. The Western Australian Association contains twenty-four clubs — a record within my knowledge. It beats even the League competitions at Home, where sixteen clubs compete. Last year a request was made to the English Association for two teams to tour the Australasian colonies, and give exhibition games, and an answer was received stating that teams would not travel this season. It seems presumption on the part of New Zealand to ask for such, seeing that we could guarantee little or no gate, but, when the enormous amount of accumulated funds of the English Association is considered, one cannot be surprised at such a small hole being made in that fund for a trip to the colonies. The English Association has £50,000 accumulated funds. Incidentally, I may remark that the total gate from the recently-played cup final between Sheffield United and Tottenham Hotspur was £4000. There is a possibility of the project havins; a successful issue, as the Home Association is about to alter its rules, allowing an intercourse of matches, to take place between Canada and Germany. Penodica! matches are played with those countries, but the importance of the game in both places has readied such a standard as to warrant