Friday, April 10, 2009

Things are tame these days







Clippings:
Click on clipping for a larger view

Crowd violence is, thankfully, a thing of the past in Tasmanian soccer.

It wasn't always such a tame affair as nowadays.

There were even pitch invasions in 1964, as the above clipping reveals.

Current youngsters such as Greg Downes, Jim Pennicott, Nick Di Falco, Jacob and Luke Huigsloot and Hugo Bladel are making the news in senior soccer.

But, Tasmania always had its up-and-coming youngsters in their early teens.

Philip Owen was one of these in the early 1960s.

Phil and his brother, Erik, played for Rapid and Juventus.

Philip represented Australia at under-16 level and scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over New Zealand.

He is now the manager of the Northgate Shopping Centre, where I saw him just the other day in The Coffee Club (sponsors of Queensland Roar), and he is also a councillor on the Brighton Council.

Erik is an accountant, with offices in Glenorchy.

Can you imagine current English Premier League players earning 150 pounds a week? They wouldn't even put their boots on now for that kind of money.

But, that's what Everton's players were earning in 1964 when they went on a tour Down Under, as the above clipping reveals.

2 comments:

Phil Owen said...

Seems you can't have a coffee without the world knowing these days....only joking.
Your article brought back many memories, doesn't seem like 45 years ago. I still run into a number of Juvent supporters keen to recall the days in the late 60's when South Hobart ground was packed to the rafters when ethnicity was rife.
Must be the best part of 47 years ago you returned from a representative tour to Sydney on a stretcher with a broken leg.
Thanks for the memories, keep up the good work.
regards
Phil

Walter said...

Good to hear from you, Phil,a nd thanks for the positive comments. Yes, you never know where the paparazzi are lurking!

That broken leg was a nuisance. The stretcher was put on the floor of the cabin for the flight home and it was a most unusual view from that perspective. The leg had to be re-set once I got home, which was no fun.

Do come to a game one day.

Cheers!