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The Spike or Victoria College Review, June 1907

Matches with Sydney University

Matches with Sydney University.

A meeting of Delegates from the Football Club of the University College was held at Auckland on Easter Monday to discuss the above matter. It was decided that it was desirable to inaugurate home and home matches with Sydney University. The main difficulties seemed to be three:—(1) Finance; (2) The fact that the holidays observed by all the College are not uniform; (3) selection; Moreover the Auckland players were severely handicapped because their Union will not recognize the College as a district under the district sheme. The secretary to and approach the New Zealand Union on the subject.

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With regards to finance, the cost would be about £250, and it was decided that the New Zealand Union be asked for assistance, and that the college clubs be asked to guarantee an equal share. In the event of matches place, and money being obtained at the gates, any surplus should be paid into a common fund. It was considered that, before visiting Sydney, we ought to be certain of being in a return.

Rather much has been made of the non-uniformity of the holidays. Canterbury and Victoria College agree, while Otago has holidays that slightly overlap ours, and considers that a change of holidays cannot be arranged. The secretary was instructed to obtain reports and schemes from the clubs where by uniformity might be gained, and to draw up a petition for the consent of the clubs.

The delegates were of opinion that a selector should be appointed to watch matches between Victoria College and Canterbury and between Otago and Canterbury this year, with a view to picking team after similar matches next year. As there seems no prospect at present of any match between Auckland and any other College it would be necessary for them to nominate players for the selector's consideration.

The selector has however not yet been appointed, as Canterbury has been asked to find a suitable man, and had some difficulty in doing so, and Otago does not consider a selector necessary at present. Many members of the Otago team are leaving at the end of this year, and the work of a selector would be rendered futile.

When the Sydney footballers were in New Zealand last year, they expressed a strong desire that the New Zealand University as a whole should send a team, as they wished to play matches, not with any particular College, but with another University, and to grant a "blue" to their representative. The honour of gaining a "blue" would be great, and it may be that the rivalry thus set up would be but the commencement of such another great struggle for supremacy as that which interests the world in the athletics of Oxford and Cambridge. The making of the attempt rests with the New Zealand College, and it is to be hoped that their footballers, one and all, will befired with the determination to set the ball a rolling, and make representation in such a team their goal.