SOCCER SIDELIGHTS PASSING NOTES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 788, 8 October 1929, Page 15

SOCCER SIDELIGHTS PASSING NOTES

(By

PERSEUS.

The Scasgi’s Wind-Up. —Saturday lext will s># the curtain rung down >n another Soccer season with the falcon Cup final between Trams and Vlanurewa. It is a fitting match 'for •he finale, as it will also be a “champion of champions'’ match. Trams - are ho undisputed senior A champions, laving gone through the competition vithout a loss; while Manurewa won he senior Li scries in an emphatic *tyle, and has been busy since handng knock-out blows to all and sundry n the various cup ties. Several senior A teams have fallen to Manurewa's attack, and its defeat of Y.M. last Saturiay was fully deserved, with nothing of i fluke about it. * * * The New Senior Side. —By its success in the senior B competition, Manjrewa has well earned its promotion to ■ull seniority, and its form against the A champions on Saturday will be -tudied with interest. Twice already :ho senior champions have been badly scared by junior clubs securing a substantial lead in knock-out bouts; but he transporters’ endurance stood then) n good stead to pull them out of the liro against both Corinthians and Bon Accord when things looked black. Manurewa was a very unfinished side in the early part of the season, and overwhelmed most of its opponents by its kick-and-rush, hustle-and-bustle style. But all the time it was develop- ! ing the team sense, and there is now a good understanding between the [ players. Some of the combined work j of the forwards against Y.M. on Sat- : urday was an eye-opener to the spec- j tutors, and Billy Palmy, as the for- ! ward pivot, is playing better Soccer j titan he did when he signed off the i Chatham, and represented Auckland j many winters back. Amending the Constitution. —There; were many drastic alterations in the j constitution and by-laws of the A.F.A. i before the season started. The old ! one was practically torn up in drafting the new system of control, and the wisdom of that revolutionary move has been proved by the rare harmony and smooth-running of tl*e management machinery this winter. There has scarcely been a “breeze” or a, ruffle on the surface, and it is hoped this record will remain unbroken for many years. Naturally, with such wholesale changes in the constitution a few weak joints have appeared, and a special general meeting will be held in the Y.M.C.A. on October 29 to consider some suggested alterations for improving the control of the game. The clubs have all been circularised, and the proposed amendments set out in full. The most important are some drastic ones dealing with the registration and transfer of players, while the principle of payment of referees is introduced for the first time. The “Poaching Evil.” —Usually, as each season nears its close, there is a certain amount of liveliness on the part of some club enthusiasts in the direction of team-building for the following season. The scouts and recruiting agents are busy sorting out likely players of other clubs to approach, and often the players’ clubs hear nothing of these advances until the next season comes round. It is now proposed to provide a “close season” between the April 1 and December 31 in each year, during which it shall be illegal for anyone to approach a member of another club with a transfer proposal. The English rule provides that no player may be approached at any time without at least 14 days’ clear notice to his club, and some such proviso should be made here. The amendments also provide for an “open transfer” list, in which players not wanted by their clubs shall be notified. It is also proposed to make it illegal for any player to sign a registration form for more than one club Unregistered Players. —lt. is further proposed to make a drastic alteration to the by-law dealing with unregistered

or ineligible players, and make it man- • datory that a club shall forfeit all j points gained in matches where an un- i qualified, player has taken part. The amendment also adds: —"The Control Board shall have power to deal with any extraordinary happening.” but this “extraordinary” proviso is hot explained in any way. If the loss of points is to be compulsory, why this clause, and what does it mean? A club may include an ineligible player in its teams in all innocence and good faith. Another person may know of this disqualification, and say nothing until the club has won a competition. Then the matter is exposed, and the club is knocked from top to bottom on account of committing a breach it was unaware of. That has happened before under the A.F.A. jurisdiction. The wiser plan would be to the rule so that the Board of Control has power to use its own discretion in judging whether the offence was deliberate or venial, and penalising the club according to the ‘•crime.” Payment of Referees. —There are other minor amendments proposed, mostly of a machinery nature, including the extension of the judicial committee’s powers in offences against discipline, and defining the positions of suspended and “cautioned” playersBut an important remit is one from the Referees’ Association introducing the payment of referees. So far, the amount suggested is the trifling one from for a minor division match to 4s for all senior matchces. But the principle is the same as though it were guineas instead of shillings, anti, if adopted, all referees would become professionals on receiving payment. This would, of course, debar them from participating in managerial matters under the rules of the F.A. in England* and such a bar might follow here. That might not be an Unmixed blessing. as the clubs appear fully capable of handling those functions, and the referees could then devote their time to meeting for some much-needed mutual improvement.

The “One Team” Club, Several weeks back the writer commented on the growth of “one-team” clubs in both the senior A and B grades, and suggested that the A.F.A. might well take up the question of admitting clubs to senior rank which have no junior teams. It was admitted then that “house” clubs like Trams and Navy would need exemption, but there is not the same restricted field for other clubs, which have no excuse for failure to maintain younger players. It is nattering to find the writer’s remarks taken up' else\yhere (with some attempt to claim originality in the idea), and the whole question may be the subject of some recommendation at the special general meeting of the A.F.A. on October 29. It is easy to organise a “one-team” club, by scouting round and recruiting a player here and there from established ones, and it calls for little time or labour to run one eleven. But the clubs deserving most consideration are the ones which do the nursery work from the primary schools to full seniority. They often suffer in the senior rank owing to the time and care given the younger players. This year the Shore and Belmont clubs, which run strong and winning teams from senior to seventh grades, finished bottom in the senior competition. and are now asked to give way to clubs with only a dozen players to wory about. That does not seem right.

Inter-House Soccer. —Following is the draw for the Auckland Football Association’s Business Houses competition, to be played tomorrow: Power Board v. Abels, Ltd., Blandford Park, 4.15 p.m., Mr. H. G. Crocker; Farmers’ Trading Company v. Training College, Blandford Park, 7 p.m., Air. L. J. Check; Auckland Hotels v. Auckland Milk Company, Outer Domain No. 1, 4.15 p.m., Mr. G. Pearson; Takapuna Dairy Company, Shell Oil Company, Kents, Ltd., Hellabys, Ltd., byes.