Photos (top to Bottom): Pen pictures of the Tasmania side that faced Sunderland in 1976; Biographical details of the Tasmanian players from the match programme; Details about the match officials contained in the programme; The photo of the Tasmanian squad in the match programme [Match programme courtesy of the Ralph Dymond Collection]
Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote an article on this blog about the visit to Tasmania of English club Sunderland.
The article included photos of the game between Sunderland and Tasmania at KGV Park on Sunday, 23 May, 1976. Sunderland won 5-0.
I was recently handed a match programme for that game. In fact, my own match programme was the ‘lucky programme’ [the word ‘Tasmania’ had the ‘T’ missing] and I won a soccer ball autographed by both teams.
Above are pages from that programme, giving pen pictures of the Tasmanian team and also a team photo.
It was a great day for Tasmanian soccer and 2,000 or so people turned up to watch our local boys play the FA Cup winners of 1973.
Whenever Tasmania plays - a rare event these days - I believe former Tasmanian representatives and officials should receive official invitations to attend the game as guests of Football Federation Tasmania.
This would be an appropriate gesture to honour those who have represented the State.
I know that five of the Tasmanian team that played Sunderland are still about in Hobart or the Hobart area - Hans Streit, Paul Shegog, John Genovesi, Domenic Frarracio and Eamonn Kelly - and some of these still attend local games.
There are probably a few others from the north who are still about and who could be invited.
Such former players could even be presented to the crowd before the match.
The two linesmen from the Sunderland game are also still about and should be invited to Tasmania games.
One of these, Jack Johnston, was invited to this year's Tasmania versus Central Coast Mariners game, I believe, and did attend. I understand Basil Masters, the other linesman, is suffering ill health and might not have been able to attend, but I wonder if he was invited.
The Tasmanian team doctor, Dr Russell Gibbs, was an expert in sports medicine at the time. I recall purchasing one of his books on the subject and attending his talks on sports medicine.
Dr Gibbs still practises medicine at a surgery in North Hobart and I'm sure he would have been pleasantly surprised if he had received an invitation to Tasmania's most recent game.
A little more recognition of those who have served this game well in the past cannot go astray.
2 comments:
Agreed Walter...
We talk about promotion of the game.The ideas mentioned by you Walter are not that hard and would cost little money at all,if any.
So simple.All that is needed is someone with some thinking outside the square.
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