VICTORIAN SOCCER NEWS - APRIL 22, 1950

LOOK AFTER YOUR GROUND by Richard Dreyfus

In this, the 1950 soccer season, there are many technical problems before the Association in general and clubs in particular, shortage of experienced referees for the thirty two odd Senior and nineteen Junior games every week is just one example of the difficulties with which the Association has endeavored to come to grips.

But there is one problem which concerns all clubs and the Association alike and that is the state of the grounds on which teams have to play.

We all are aware that some clubs have only been granted use of their ground after insistent pleading with local Councils, who then have given them the very worst bit of land in the municipality.

However, there is no rule which prevents club members going down to their "island'. during the week and improving it by levelling the high, rough spots, filling in the many bad potholes and marking the field properly in anticipation of Saturday's match.

One of the greatest dangers to players is that concrete cricket pitch, which invariably cuts right across the playing area and sometimes even into the penalty square. On two grounds this season - Footscray City's at South Kingsville and Hakoah's at Yarra Park, highly dangerous concrete wickets have marred the field.

At Kingsville, turf chips on which players slid allover the place had been scattered over the pitch, while at Yarra Park the wicket was completely uncovered. Imagination bogs at what will happen when a fast-travelling player slips and falls heavily on one of these concrete slabs.

The aspect which concerns the association and its umpires is whether such a ground is really fit to play on. At Kingsville the ground was literally flooded also. Through one of the goals a pretty little brook was flowing, making the task of the goalkeeper extremely difficult. It was completely impossible for any player to obtain even a semblance of a foothold, some sinking at times into the water to well over the top of their boots.

Without malice towards the referee, I was surprised to hear him declare the ground a fit one for 22 men to play on. To this day I am amazed no one was seriously hurt-it was pure luck.

Naturally, any resembtance between the game the players "swam" and soccer was purely coincidental. But then, very little else could have been expected from anyone on such a waterloqgged ground.

Postponement of matches is a nuisance to the club and the Association alike, but in the interests of Soccer and the health of its players, referees should exercise their prerogative and cancel a game scheduled for one of these dangerous grounds.

In conclusion, let's all do our bit in improving our ground. We'll impress the councils and our own opponents and play a much better game of soccer.