A matter of anniversaries and centenaries and re-writing history

In yet another example of FFA ignoring Tasmania, a Melbourne academic has taken issue with FFA’s intention this year to celebrate the 130^th anniversary of the first recorded game of Association Football in Australia.

FFA claim the first game was played at Parramatta between The Wanderers and Kings School in August 1880.

They say that 2010 will be an important year of celebrations because Australia will play in the World Cup, Australia’s bid for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will gain even more momentum, and a visiting FIFA delegation will be here to help us celebrate the first game and thus lend weight to our World Cup bid.

Historian Dr Ian Syson, who is a lecturer at the Victorian University in Melbourne, has made an important discovery, however, at the Australian National Library in Canberra.

He has found three newspaper clippings which not only debunk the myth of the Parramatta game being the first recorded game in Australia, but which show evidence that the first recorded game played in Australia was actually one between New Town and The Cricketers in Hobart a year earlier.

The game was played at Marsh’s Ground in New Town in 1879.

FFA have been told of this historical discovery and have chosen to ignore it.

I mean, why let little Tassie spoil the champagne glass-clinking festivities in Sydney with the FIFA travelling show.

Besides, Parramatta is where the new Sydney A-League franchise is destined.

Tasmania does not record even a blip on the FFA radar and history will be re-written to suit FFA’s purposes.

The documents can be seen on Damian Smith’s website, Australian Online Football Museum (at http://www.ozfootball.net/museum/index.php/timeline/176-timeline-of-australian-football-1850-1899).

Jesse Fink referred to the saga in his blog on the SBS website yesterday in an article entitled “The FFA’s denying of history”.

And, Dr Syson, together with other historians, also has a website devoted to the game and called Das Libero (http://vulgar.com.au/libero/dascons.html).

Take a look and see for yourself.

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Meanwhile, it seems certain that Michael McIntyre will be leaving FFT at the end of January.

I think it’s about time a former Tasmanian Soccer Federation chairman, Roy Stoneman, be brought out of retirement and persuaded to throw his hat in the ring again as an FFT office holder.

Stoneman is an accomplished businessman and knows the game.

I am sure he would be able to ensure the Tasmanian game is promoted as it should be.

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There are some pre-season friendlies coming up in the next few days.

South Hobart will play Beachside at Wellesley Park on Wednesday (tomorrow) at 6.30pm.

South Hobart will also be playing New Town Eagles at Wellesley Park on Saturday afternoon and Taroona on Sunday.

South Hobart are celebrating their centenary this year, of course, and are preparing for forthcoming games in Melbourne.

They had a 31-year-old Korean national league player at training this week and he will play in those interstate games with a view to catching the eye of A-League scouts.

He has played something like 150 K-League games.

A 17-year-old Brazilian will also be arriving for South Hobart tomorrow and it will be interesting to see his calibre.

Talking about centenary years, this year is also the centenary of league soccer in Tasmania and I wonder if FFT will be celebrating the occasion?

It has been brought to their notice but there has been no response.

Perhaps they could get together with FFA and organise something such as the national team playing here.

It is the least FFA could do for us as we missed out on the two Asian Cup qualifiers, the venues of which had been undecided even as late as the middle of last year.

I wonder if FFT approached them about the matter of playing one of those qualifiers in Tasmania, as had been suggested to them?

The Rex Fabian Trophy for the best Tasmanian referee and other jottings

Photos (Top to Bottom): Liam Monagle wins the 1983 Rothmans Gold Medal and is shown with previous winners (L-R) Danny Spendiff, Brian Davidson, Larry Nunn, John Kirkpatrick (inaugural winner in 1971) and Brian McKay; Juvenutus-Pioneeer, coached by Ken Morton, won the State Premiership in 1985; Juventus, coached by Peter Brine (third from right at back) in 1983; Top referee Brian Clarkson in action, with John Charlton (nearest camera, in red shirt); Juventus, the State reserve champion, at KGV, with president Ernie Schiro (back row, extreme right) and coach Ahmed Abdaltam; Juventus reserves prior to second-leg State premiership match at George Town; Juventus stars Bruce Pears and Sergio Pace; Caledonians' star Tommy Wright; The Caledonians side of the early 1980s (back row, L-R) Siggins, Goldsmith, Robins, Atkins, Schwaiger, Pillans, Martin, Banagan (front row, L-R) McKay, Wright, Murtagh, Di Venuto, Joseph, Parker

Kim Barker has won the ‘referee-of-the-year’ award for nine consecutive years.

Does this award have a name?

The best referee in Tasmania used to be presented with the Rex Fabian Trophy.

Does anyone know what happened to that trophy?

The winners from 1978 to 1985 were:

1978 Jack Johnston

1979 Jack Johnston

1980 Norm Johnson

1981 Keith Credland

1982 Duncan Fairley

1983 Alan Anderson

1984 Dave De Cani

1985 Brian Clarkson

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Here are some Pepsi Youth League line-ups from 27 July 1985 (some over-age players were permitted).

Some of these players went on to make a name for themselves in senior football and even interstate and overseas.

Juventus: Maccallini, Brianese, Longo, Nicholls, Di Martino, Leon, Schiro, Fabrizio, Lanci, Bromfield, Mastracola, Stanford, Morton, Mangione

Caledonians: Greenwood, Law, Crowley, Barrell, Neale, Cayzer, Grainger, Hen, Burrows, Jefferies, Hart, Shepherd

Olympia: Kalimnios, Fiotakis, Vagianos, Nikitaris, Venetsanakis, C Tsiakis, Burrows, Tsangaris, Strates, Patiniotis, Paplos, Natsis, Karipidis, Hsiridis

White Eagles: T Steenhuis, Arnold, McKenzie, Garrigan, Rosinski, Ketchell, Witek, P Pless, Templeman, Lasczak, Crowther, Drinkwater, O’Hea

Here are the senior squads of the same weekend (28 July 1985):

Juventus: Craven, Pears, Perri, Cochrane, Whisson, De Felice, Clarkson, Fabrizio, Pace, Kannegiesser, Broadhouse, Nicholls, Morton

Caledonians: Di Venuto, Robins, Driessen, Martin, Wright, Joseph, Goldsmith, Brown, Murtagh, Schwaiger, Parker, Barrell, Grainger, Greenwood

White Eagles: Johnston, Krysica, Burton, Kerr, Forshaw, M Leszczynski, Young, Stoddart, R Leszczynski, A Leszczynski, Crowther, Morrison, P Pless

Olympia: Burden, Kaproulias, Hey, Vafakos, Padas, Gorniak, Paplos, Munro, Forster, Sherman, Xanthopoulos

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The State Premiership second-leg match between Juventus-Pioneeer and George Town United was played at KGV Park on 11 October (note: October) 1985 and resulted in a 1-1 draw.

The squads were:

Juventus-Pioneer: Craven, Pears, Perri, Cochrane, Di Martino, De Felice, Clarkson, Fabrizio, Pace, Kannegiesser, Broadhouse, Leon, Whisson, Morton, Mastracola

George Town United: Carstens, Pennicott, Davidson, Monagle, Gimpl, Callaghan, Coogan, Sawdon, Scheibl, Hughes, G Farrell, M Farrell, Gaetani, Forsyth, Lewendon

The first leg in George Town ended in a goalless draw, so Juventus were the Tasmanian champions.

The Reserve State Premiership between Devonport City and Juventus was played in George Town on 29 September 1985 and the southerners won 3-0.

The squads were:

Devonport City: J Udovicic, N Batt, R Smith, N Palmer, D Cole, R Koch, C Buchanan, K Rigby, M Meldrum, L Smith, M Di Pietro, D Timms, J Alexiou

Juventus-Pioneeer: T Maccallini, Brianese, Mastracola, Longo, Leon, D Schiro, R Schiro, Lapolla, Lanci, Bromfield, S Maccallini, Ghedini, Stanford, Gasparin

"Salty" in Tassie

Photos (Top to Bottom): Eric Young (left) and Peter Brine at the 1982 Rothmans Gold Medal night; Peter Brine (extreme right, back row) as coach of Juventus on 9 July 1983 at the Athletic Centre; Eric Young, Rothmans Gold Medallist in 1982, with Michael Hodgman; 1982 Rothmans Gold Medal winner Eric Young; Ian Parker with Eric Young at the Rothmans Gold Medal dinner in October 1982; Eric Young and Ian Parker in Hobart about five years ago; Otto Klaus (partly obscured at left), Peter Brine, Steve Darby and Ron Coutts at the Rothmans Gold Medal dinner; The author with Eric Young in Hobart about five years ago.

I am absolutely delighted that Peter Brine has made contact with this blog.

The former Middlesbrough player was one of the finest imports to have graced the Tasmanian scene.

He had a dodgy knee, which ended his professional career in England, but he was still a magnificent player and the local game was honoured to have him here in the early 1980s.

His sportsmanship was exemplary and he was a role model for Tasmania’s young players.

He played for Juventus and Olympia during his Tasmanian sojourn.

Peter now runs a restaurant in Townsville (“A Touch of Salt” - see comments section in the story entitled “A look at the tail end of 1982”).

“Salty”, as was his nick name, came to Tasmania with former Manchester United player, Eric Young, to join Juventus.

They brought success to the club during their short stay in Tasmania.

I recall Eric Young telling me of how his career at Manchester United ended.

Tommy Docherty was manager of Manchester United at the time and, after one particular training session, Young was told to report to the boss.

He found Docherty finishing his shower in the dressing room and walked over to announce his presence.

Docherty was just towelling himself down and, without even looking at Young, he said curtly: “On your bike, son. You’re out of here.”

Sad, but that is how professional careers can end.

Some Tasmanian fans will recall Docherty well. He was manager of Chelsea when the club toured Australia in 1965 and played a game against Tasmania at North Hobart.

Chelsea won 12-0 and Docherty came on for the second half and scored a penalty.

The late Peter Osgood starred in that game for Chelsea, but Terry Venables did not play and stood on the steps of the main grandstand at North Hobart to watch.

Chelsea’s excellent left winger, Peter Houseman, also had a fine game. He was to die in a car accident a few short years later when he was with Oxford United.

After leaving Tasmania, Eric returned to England and became a policeman in Sunderland.

He recently went to the United States of America.

He visited Tasmania about five years ago and looked up Ian Parker and me and it was great to catch up with him.

I hope the above photos bring back some fond memories, “Salty”.

Happy New Year!

A happy New Year to everyone!

May 2010 be a great year for you.

Good luck to all clubs and supporters, referees and FFT officials, as well as to all players and coaches as you prepare for the coming season.

Some clubs will already have started pre-season, while others will be commencing shortly.

I wish you all well.

“Yule is come and Yule is gone, and we have feasted well; so Jack must to his flail again, and Jenny to her wheel.” (Proverb)