Soccer in 'Grab' for Footy Grounds 1954

This piece now superceded by http://neososmos.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/1954.html

Olympiacos teach Victory’s youngsters some lessons

by Roy Hay

Three down after 25 minutes Melbourne Victory found out what it was like to play against one of the top teams in Europe, Olympiacos Piraeus, the Greek league and cup champion.

 

To be fair the Victory team was a shadow of that which played for most of the A-League season with only Archie Thompson as a regular starter throughout the year.
 

The visitor had six players who will be taking part in the European championship next month, five for Greece and Olof Mellberg of Sweden.
 

So youngsters Lawrence Thomas, Petar Franjic, Diogo Ferriera and Jimmy Jeggo got an opportunity to test themselves against real quality.
 

In the opening minute or two Victory actually monopolised the ball but Matthew Foschini, playing in an unaccustomed spot in central defence with Petar Franjic, gave the ball away and David Fuster put the chance over the bar.
 

Victory did not learn from that incident and Olympiacos struck in the 10th minute, rebounding from an attack which broke down with David Fuster running through the defence and round the keeper.
 

Leigh Broxham set up Danny Allsopp but the big striker lifted his shot over the bar.
 

In the 23rd minute Belgian international Kevin Mirrallas got away down the left and crossed for Ioannis Fetfaztidis to score with a precise header.
 

Two minutes later Rafik Djebbour got into a similar position and his driven cross was deflected into his own net by Franjic.
 

Chose Cholevas brought down Archie Thompson in the penalty area as Victory tried to respond.
The Socceroo striker got up and put away the spot kick efficiently.
 

Olof Mellberg was booked for a foul on Foschini, but that was no excuse for the latter’s assault on Djebbour which earned him a yellow card in turn.
 

Lawrence Thomas came off his line quickly to save from Djebbour and at the other end Thompson tried to walk the ball into the net when Victory had three men up in attack.
 

So half time came with Victory three-one down.
 

At the interval Ernesto Valverde removed all the Greek internationals, Ioannis Maniatis, Vasilis Torosids, Cholevas, Fetfaztidis and Avraam Papadopoulos, though Melberg and Mirallas remained to test Victory.
 

Victory came into the game against the revised line-up and Matthew Kemp set up Thompson but the final shot went narrowly past the post.
 

A couple of minutes later Thompson returned the favour but Kemp was much more wayward.
 

Kemp and Diogo Ferreira gave way to Sam Gallagher and Julius Davies and later Ange Postecoglou brought on Damir Lokvancic, Paulo Retre and James Reccobeni.
 

Victory continued to have a better share of possession and chances though the final ball was not precise enough and there were some unforced errors (as well as forced ones) in defence.
 

Allsopp fired in a free kick which rebounded off the keeper, now former Manchester United stopper, Roy Carroll.
 

Thompson got the loose ball first but his effort just went wide again.
 

As the game wound down Davies released Marco Rojas whose inviting cross was pushed past the post from right in front of goal by Lokvancic.
 

Then in the last minute of normal time, Lawrence Thomas underhit a clearance towards Gallagher and Fuster intercepted and knocked ball over the stranded keeper.
 

The ball just crossed the line before Foschini could hook it clear.
 

So it finished four-one but all the youngsters who took part will have learned something about the level they have to reach in future.
 

Ange Postecoglou said afterwards they would have realised that they would get a chance to play football in that environment provided they did the right thing, but that mistakes would be punished instantly.
 

‘You might get away with that at youth team where the majority play or even at A-League level, but at this level you don’t,’ he said.
 

The attendances was 16,879, somewhat disappointing, but understandable given the timing and the quality of the team the Victory was able to field out of season.
 

As the coach pointed out at a different time of the year the story might have been more favourable to the home team.

Match details (unofficial)

Saturday 19 May 2012
Melbourne Victory 1 (Archie Thompson 28’) Olympiacos 4 (David Fuster 10’ & 89’, Ioannis Fetfaztidis 23’, Peter Franjic, own goal, 25’)
Competition: International friendly
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Local kick-off: 7.30 pm
Referee: Ben Williams
Assistant referees: George Lakrinidis & Shaun Evans
Fourth official: Alex Azcurra
Attendance: 16,879

Melbourne Victory
20 Lawrence THOMAS, 2 Matthew FOSCHINI, 3 Adama TRAORE (5 James RECCOBENI 81’), 4 Petar FRANJIC, 6 Leigh BROXHAM (Paulo Retre 76’), 7 Matthew KEMP (15 Sam GALLAGHER 54’), 10 Archie THOMPSON, 11 Marco ROJAS, 13 Diogo FERREIRA (29 Julius DAVIES 54’), 17 Jimmy JEGGO, 18 Danny ALLSOPP (8 Damir LOKVANCIC 76’).

Substitutes not used: 21 Rani DWISHA, 25 Luke O’DEA, 26 Nick ANSELL.

Yellow cards: Matthew Foschini 32’

Red cards: Nil

Coach: Ange Postecoglou

Olympiacos
42 Balasz MEGYERI (1 Roy CARROLL 46’ (99 Iosif Daskalakis 77’)), 2 Ioannis MANIATIS ( Francois MODESTO 46’), 4 Olof MELLBERG, 8 Lubomir FEJSA, 10 Rafik DJEBBOUR (87 Diogo SANTO), 18 Ioannis FETFATZIDIS (Djamal ABDOUN 46’), 14 Kevin MIRALLAS, 35 Vasilios TOROSIDIS (31 Pablo ORBAIZ 46’), 21 Avram PAPADOPULOS (Jean MAKOUN 46’), 19 David FUSTER, 20 Chose CHOVELAS (Ioannis POTOURIDIS 46’),

Substitutes not used:

Yellow cards: Olof Mellberg 32’, Pablo Orbaiz 75’.

Red cards: Nil

Coach: Ernesto Valverde.

Melbourne Victory v. Olympiacos, Etihad Stadium, 19/05/12

I'll be blogging this from about 6.45 in the press box at Etihad! More interested in the sandwiches, pizza, coke and Michael Lynch's song list than the game. Only joking. It should be a good display given that half the Greek national team will be on the field.

Can't be arsed typing out the team lists but here's an image of them.

23 minutes before kick-off at it looks like a North Melbourne v Fremantle crowd (when both teams are crap) at Etihad. People still in the bars?

Olympiacos supporters, mid picture.

A few on the wing

hmmm

More turned up just before kick off.

It's a strange atmosphere with a very strong supporter group for Olympiacos from Sydney in attendance. But not a lot of Victory fans, yet, relatively at least. At present just under 15K in the ground. It really needs 20 before it feels occupied. This would have been fabulous at AAMI.

The flare helps!

7.34. Underway. Victory kicks off. Colleague calls for penalty as Archie Thompson falls in a challenge. No one else calls though.

7.37. Olympiacos player mile offside through on goal. Called.

7.38. Olympiacos player blazes over after mistake from Foschini at cb.

7.40. Djebbour shoots wide for Olympiacos.

7.41. Olympiacos all over victory. Will score soon!

7.42. Offside call. Olympiacos robbed according to some.

7.43. Olympiacos score. Told you so! Fuster! 1-0.

7.47. Allsopp blazes away high and wide.

Crowd 16,537 and rising! Victory seemed to have stemmed the flow a little.

7.51. Olympiacos Corner on right. Another.

7.54. Victory attacking. Looking competent without the polish to finish well.

16,644

7.56. Beautiful goal to Olympiacos. Run by Miralles on left cut back to Fetfaztidis. Headed in beautifully. 2-0


7.54. Own goal by Victory. 3-0.

16,704

8.01. Penalty to victory. Thompson brought down in area. Scored. Olympiacos. 3-1.

8.04. Olympiacos player fouled Victory player off the ball. Yellow to Mellberg.

8.06. Foschini yellow. Olympiacos free kick 25 out. Dangerous. Put out for for left corner. Dangerous until keeper fouled.

8.09. Allsopp fouled in clear. Should have been yellow.

8.10  Good save by Thomas when goal looked likely.

8.11. Great long effort by Olympiacos 30 out. Only just over. Victory follow up with a bit more stupidity.

8.13. Victory pressing. Archie gets a great ball on the right. Stuffs it up by failing to pass off.

8.15. Victory pressing forward again.

8.17. Good attack by Olympiacos but Victory up to it and defend well.

8.18. Victory forward again. Game seems more balanced now. Maybe Olympiacos have foot off pedal.

8.19. Break by Olympiacos. Stemmed. They come again.

8.20. Half time.

After looking likely to cave in Victory find something and make a game of it. Though it's probably fair enough to suggest that Olympiacos are playing at 75 per cent full throttle.

Crowd 16,851

8.37. Second half underway. Olympiacos make 6 changes.

8.38. Sparkling attack by Victory down right. Archie puts it into side netting.

8.39. Olympiacos corner on left. Should have scored. Keeper Thomas did well again. Victory break. Break down.

8.42. Victory looking steady again.

8.43. Good work down right by Victory. Kemp shoots wide.

8.45. Olympiacos pounces on Victory error. Poor finishing sees ball go behind for goal kick.

16,876

8.49. Game has lost edge. Olympiacos seem to be going through the motions and victory can't penetrate.

8.50. Olympiacos attack. Good save by Thomas.

8.54. Good lead up play by Olympiacos. Shot side footed over.

8.55. Victory corner. Saved by Carroll. Olympiacos break. Shot saved by Thomas.

8.56. Archie offside.

8.58. Good pressing by Victory but let down again by poor final ball. Too long and behind for goal kick.

16,879

9.05. Davies has a crack from 25. Blasts over.

9.07. Archie brought down. Yellow for 31.

9.08. Allsopp drive fumbled by carroll. Archie stuffs up the follow up.

9.13. James Riccobeni on for Victory Looks lively.

9.14. Good break by Victory Lokvancic fluffs good chance.

9.21. Error by victory. Goal to Fuster. 4-1.

9.23. Victory still pushing for another.

9.25. All over. Olympiacos 4, Melbourne Victory 1.

Hopelessly outtclassed victory's youngsters deserve a lot of credit for the way they competed in the game. Olympiacos had a night out and seemed to enjoy themselves. It was clear that had the game been meaningful then the story would have been very different.

OMG an ethnic flag!

Ange Postecoglu seemed reasonably happy with the performance.
Thought his young players fought well and learned a bit from the experience.

Moreland City v. Fawkner Blues, Campbell Reserve, 19/05/12

Game starts at 3pm. Must be off. Top of the table clash and either team gets a good opportunity to put some distance between itself and third place on the ladder.

Arrive at half-time in the ressies. Two nil to Moreland.

Sheltering from the cold in the clubhouse, famously lined with football tops and team shots from Europe. No Sunderland tops I notice, I'll have to give them one.

What's that South Melbourne top doing there?

Flavor of the moment or more permanent allegiance?

Nice run through the middle by mc no9 results in saved shot.

Thought this Moreland free kick was going in. Just wide.

Moreland dominating. Look much better in midfield. Morealnd go on to win the game 2-0 with a third goal being ruled out for offside.

Moreland senior coach, Maurice Bisetto, before the game.

3.01. Game commences. Fawkner Cyanazzuris attacking clubhouse end.

3.03.  Fawkner attacking free kick. Offside.

3.04. Moreland attacking free kick from left headed away.

3.10. Good attacking period from Moreland. Neither keeper yet troubled.

3.12. Good free kick from Moreland right met by glancing header missed left.

3.13. Fawkner free kick from right. Met at back post. Headed into side netting.

3.17. Periodic Moreland control. Fawkner break defused.

3.19. Good composed defense from Moreland under pressure at left back.

3.20. Moreland Cross from right goes behind.

3.23. Dangerous  Fawkner free kick from left headed away well.

3.24. Good f cross from right beginning of sustained minute of pressure. Finally cleared.

3.26. Fawkner attacking well on right.

3.27. Good hard Fawkner tackle. Could have been carded.

3.28. Fawkner free kick30 out. Headed clear. Returned and a neat headed goal looping the keeper. 1-0 fawkner. Deserved lead.

3.30. Another good  Fawkner attack. Keeper out to collect. Moreland free from right headed over.

3.31  Long ball from Fawkner eludes everyone. Keeper out bravely.

Latrobe score against Altona east. 1-0.

3.34. Another good attack from  Fawkner. Moreland need to find something.

3.37. Moreland fc on right wing. Headed into side netting at back post.

3.39. Good attack by Fawkner. Breaks down through poor decision by f no 9,Stevie.

3.40  Fawkner corner from right. Cleared. Sliced volley goes behind for goal kick.

3.41. Fawkner fc on right wing. Floated into box. Headed clear. Moreland break. Put behind for corner. Headed wide.

3.43. No 19 from mc coming into his own. Fawkner break. Moreland Keeper saves from deflected shot.

3.47.  Fawkner still combing well and looking good in attack.

3.48. Half time. 

Fawkner deserve their lead. Have played pretty well without making the Moreland keeper have to work.

Here's a prediction. Moreland have a lot of to do. But they can do it. 2-1 after a bollocking in the sheds.

South Melbourne legend Jimmy Armstrong on an irregular visit to Campbell reserve.
He thinks Fawkner has the edge as do most of the 150 spectators.

4.04. Second half underway.

Who is Alan Lugg?

4.06  Free kick corner from right cleared. Fawkner attack again.

4.07. Fawkner No. 8 does all the hard work and has a high shot tipped over. May have been missing.

4.08. Moreland have trouble clearing the resulting corner. Rare attack from Moreland.

4.09. Fawkner free kick right. Cleared.

4.10. More pressure from Moreland.

4.12. Two Moreland subs. Very early but something needed to be done.

4.14. Fawkner free kick 30 out in front. About 30 over!

4.15. Yellow to Fawkner for crude tackle. Moreland free kick on left. Cleared.

4.17. Ridiculously high shot by Fawkner.

4.18. Magnificent off balance save by Fawkner keeper from a dipping swerving shot. It really was a classy save.

4.19. Moreland corner. Good sustained pressure relieved by defensive free kick for offside.


4.22. Another yellow to Fawkner. Moreland free kick 30 out.

Second yellow for dissent. Player claims it was only his first card as he leaves the field reluctantly.

4.24. Moreland yellow. Game on the edge of getting ugly.

4.26. Fawkner free kick from left. Headed clear.

Keeper saves well.

4.28. Good period for Moreland.

4.31. Fawkner free kick 25 out. Cleared. Another shot. Saved by keeper.

4.34. Moreland cross/shot juggled by keeper.

4.35. Fawkner keeper saves high shot on line.

Even though Moreland are going through a good period, Fawkner are not really struggling even with a man short.

4.38. Fawkner attack from free kick on left. Goes behind.

4.39. Moreland break. Corner on left.

4.40. Fawkner free kick 25 out on left. Headed clear. Defensive fc.

4.41. Moreland free kick near right corner. Keeper feels he was impeded but ball cleared anyway.

4.43. Moreland sustained period of attack. Not penetrating though.

4.45. Fawkner shot just wide.

4.46. Moreland great opportunity. Blasted into side netting.

4.51. Moreland free kick 30 out on left. Behind for corner. Good header just over.

4.52  Game over. Fawkner 1-0.

With a man over Moreland had every opportunity to take this game back. Fawkner's resilience won the day. This should send alarm bells through the league. Highlight of the day was that save by the Fawkner keeper.

Fawkner keeper congratulated by his new friends from the Moreland supporters.
Why is he still wearing that horrible strip?

Henry John Dockerty, 1882–1965

by Roy Hay

Henry John Dockerty, better known as Harry, was a pioneer of the game in Victoria and probably the single most influential figure in its history in this state. He was most likely born near Glasgow, probably in 1882, the son of James Dockerty, a farmer, and Grace Hunter. [1]. However, a search of the birth registers of Scotland’s People reveals only onemale Dockerty born in Scotland between 1870 and 1900, and that person was born in 1870. None of the Henry Dochertys born between 1878 and 1885 fit the information contained on his death certificate. [2]

He was trained (apprenticed?) as a tailor and cutter and set out to make his fortune abroad in his early twenties, arriving in Melbourne via India, New Zealand and Sydney in 1907. He set up business in Collins Street where he became a successful businessman, later moving to Flinders Lane, where he had all the doctors on his books for their bespoke suits. [3]

On 21 July 1908 he put a small item in the Argus, ‘All those interested in the formation of a British Association Football League in Melbourne are asked tosend in their names to H. Dockerty, 259 Collins Street.' [4] A subsequent report in the Argus on 30 July noted the success of this appeal.

During the pastweek some lovers of this game who reside in Melbourne have had practice matches and formed a league, the full title being the British Association Football League of Victoria. In answer to Mr. H. Dockerty’s (one of the organisers) invitation, several players assembled at Middle Park last Saturday, and indulged in practice, and judging from the attendance the game should make rapid strides. An enthusiastic and largely-attended meeting was held at the Orient Hotel on Tuesday night, with the result that the league was formed. Several matters were discussed, and office bearers elected. There will be practice matches every Saturday, until the executive committee form clubs.[5]

Dockerty played with the St Kilda club when competition got under way. Not content with forming a league, he presented a handsome silver cup, which became known as the Dockerty Challenge Cup, first played for in 1909 and won by Carlton which defeated St Kilda by two goals to one on 15 August. That trophy was to become the Victorian equivalent of the FA Cup involving all the senior clubs in the state in knock-out competition for nearly a century. It was last won by Green Gully in 2004 and has now been returned to the Football Federation of Victoria.[6] Let’s hope the competition can be revived in future.[7]

Dockerty was influential in the formation of teams beyond Melbourne including Wonthaggi Rangers. As president of theVictorian association he led a Melbourne select to Powlett River to take on the new team in June 1910.[8] He also helped set up junior competitions to bring on the next generation of players. Harry Dockerty was also involved in the formation of the Commonwealth Football Association in 1912 and subsequent attempts to establish a continuing national body to organise the game. His contribution to Victorian football was recognised as early as 1909 by the presentation to him of a magnificent framed collage of pictures of the six league teams, the executive committee, an immaculately turned out Harry Dockerty himself and the trophy he had instigated.

Framed picture presented to Mr Harry Dockerty on 23 September 1909, showing the Dockerty Cup, the six teams taking part in the competition and the executive committee of the British Football Association of Victoria in 1909. The picture now hangs in the FFV boardroom. Photo: Roy Hay. The teams are from top left anti-clockwise: Melbourne United, Williamstown FC, Carlton United, St Kilda FC, Prahran FC, Fitzroy District.

Harry Dockerty married Mary Jane Hastings in Sydney in 1919. They had one son John Denison Dockerty who was born in Melbourne in 1926.

When football resumed after the First World War Dockerty continued to lead the way, and the Dockerty Cup went from strength to strength. The Commonwealth Football Association was reformed in 1921 and Harry Dockerty was elected as its first president.[9] He tried hard to get Victorians to support the visit of an English touring team and when this was finally achieved in 1925 he was there as president to greet the tourists.[10]

Source:Argus, Tuesday 19 May 1925,p. 9.

After the Second World War, Harry Dockerty was president of the Victorian Amateur Soccer Football Association from 1956 until the demise of that body in 1962. Previously he had been vice-president every season since the end of the war.

Dockertyat a game, probably in the 1960s.
Photo: Laurie Schwab collection, Deakin University Library.

Dockerty also helped mend two of the great splits in the game in Victoria from 1927 to 1929 and again in 1958 to 1962.[11] While factions were at loggerheads his was always the voice for reason, compromise and conciliation. He was pleased when the post-war dispute was settled with the Victorian Soccer Federation taking over the running of the game from the predecessor organisation, the Victorian Amateur Soccer Football Association. He was nominated unopposed as the president of the new body in 1962, a position he held until his death in 1965. The honorary position reflected the esteem in which he was held by all involved in the game. He had worked tirelessly to try to bring about an amicable resolution of the split between the amateur body and the new semi-professional federation.

So he was able to greet Sir Stanley Rous, then president of FIFA, when he visited Australia in the 1960s, and provide backing for the move to rejoin the world game which was finally achieved in mid-1963.

VSF President, Harry Dockerty (left), with FIFA officebearers on their visit to Australia in 1963,
Dr Helmut Käser, Secretary, SirStanley Rous, President and Dr Ottorino Barassi,
Vice-President. Photo: LaurieSchwab collection, Deakin University Library. [12]

The next year Harry Dockerty commended the formation of a players’ association saying, ‘I am pleased to be here and wish your association good luck for the future. I think the move will improve Soccer in Victoria.'[13] By then Dockerty had only a year to live but he had overseen the development of the code from a tiny participant game into a significant semi-professional spectator sport and a major part of Australian life, for the domestic population and for successive generations of migrants like himself.

 Harry Dockerty spent the latter part of his life at 43 The Ridge in Canterbury and died on 26 May 1965. He was cremated at Springvale.

Harry Dockerty was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Honour of the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1999. This is the highest award available for a contribution to the development of the game in Australia, and is given for eminent service or contributions to football in Australia, whether at state/territory level, nationally or internationally. In 2010 he was an inaugural inductee into the Football Federation Victoria Hall of Fame.

Never comfortable in front of a microphone, Harry Dockerty was always

impeccably dressed. Photo: Laurie Schwab collection. Deakin University Library.

Harry Dockerty was much happier in domestic life. Here with his wife Mary Jane and Lassie.
Photo:Laurie Schwab collection. Deakin University.

References

---

1. Henry John Dockerty, death certificate, Victoria, 10435/65.
2. There were two Henry Dochertys born illegitimately in 1882. Inneither case was the mother’s name Grace.
3. Information from his daughter in law, Joan Marguerite Dockerty(née Ferguson) by telephone, 28 May 2010.
4. Argus, 21 July 1908, p.7.
5. Argus, 30 July 1908, p.7.
6. In that revival it was known as the Crazy John’s Dockerty Cup. Inthe final Green Gully beat Fawkner one-nil. Ozfootball website, http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/States/VIC/2004CJCup.html
7. Roy Hay and Ian Syson, Thestory of football in Victoria, Football Federation Victoria, Melbourne,2010, pp. 6–8.
8. Argus, 2 June 1910, p. 5.
9. Minutes of the Meeting of the Commonwealth Football Association,16 August, 1921.
10. Sydney Morning Herald,30 December 1924, p. 8; Argus, 19 May1925, p. 9.
11. Roy Hay, ‘Marmaras’s oyster or Seamonds’baby? The formation of the Victorian Soccer Federation, 1956-1964’, Sporting Traditions, 10, No 2, 1994, pp.3-24; Sporting Globe, 20 April 1927.
12. Caption has picture dated 18 December 1963, but Rous visited in1962 and 1964 as well.
13. Braham Dabscheck, ‘Early attempts at forming soccer player unionsin Australia,’ SportingTraditions, 10, No 2, 1994, pp. 33-34.

If you know your history . . .

Football Federation Victoria (FFV) History Committee today. Met up with the committee at the FFV headquarters on St Kilda Road. Great little coffee shop below the FFV was the forum for much discussion, including: Moreland City U13 B's failure to capitalise on a 2-0 half-time lead over Fawkner in a game they ended up drawing 2-2, Man City's ascension, female referees, whether Victorian referees were too soft on hard tackles or vice versa.

Our job is to encourage and enable the preservation and recording of the game's history in Victoria. We meet monthly and discuss issues like the digitisation of Victorian Football history, Football museums and the storage of heritage items, the written history of the game in Victoria.

Today we met in Training Room #2 in which we were overlooked by a framed Matildas' shirt.

Matilda's 2006 team shirt with signatures.

Important issues for today's meeting were the ongoing difficulty of getting the print media to acknowledge FFV competitions, the new Sporting Pulse system for entering match results and nominations for the Hall of Fame. Some discussion was also held as to whether 2013 or 2014 represented 130 years of organised soccer in Victoria. The jury is still out, though 2014 is the 130 anniversary of organised club competition.

1956 Socceroo, Ted Smith, Historians Roy Hay and Paul Mavroudis,
pondering a weighty issue in today's meeting.

Maggie Koumi revealed to the committee the recently recovered McQuarrie-Rocco Award (for the most valuable Victorian state team players), set up to memorialise two outstanding young women players who lost their lives in a car accident returning from a game in Sydney. Some discussion was had as to its purpose in the future given that interstate competition is a thing of the past.

Maggie Koumi holds the McQuarrie-Rocco Award for the most valuable State team player.

 

Winners include Fiona Young, Carolyn Monk, Theresa Jones (Deas), Amanda Norgate,
Andrea Martin, Leeanne Hamilton, Kate Walker.

On the way out we notice these two glorious remnants of Victorian soccer history, the Armstrong Cup and the Dockerty Cup at the FFV reception desk. Playing for these would be one way of bringing our game's history alive.

A very shiny Armstrong Cup. Roy Hay on Armstrong Cup.

The Dockerty Cup, in all its glory. Roy Hay on Harry Dockerty.

Soccer in Geelong is more than a hundred years old

By Roy Hay, first published in Geelong Advertiser, 1 August 2007, p. 43.

For many years the first evidence I could find of a soccer match being played in Geelong was in 1920, a reference I owed to a former colleague, GaryCotton.

I knew this was far too late, but finding earlier games on trawls through the sources, particularly the Geelong Advertiser, had proved fruitless.

Then the historian of the World Game, Dr Bill Murray of La Trobe University drew my attention to a brief note in the Australasian which announced that the game would be demonstrated to the students of Scotch College in Melbourne, and the Geelong Grammar School in June and July 1884, thanks to the headmasters of both schools.

I asked my friend Steve Radojevic, Bursar of the Grammar School, if he or the school archivist could check their files, but no record of the game could be found.

So it was back to the Advertiser to see if the game in Geelong took place.

There was an advertisement for the Grammar School on the front page on 1 July 1884 but only about its scholastic performances and a note, which obviously had not been proofread, saying the school would reopen after the holidays in February 1884.

But then on page three there was a notice about a game under Anglo-Australian rules to be played on Corio Oval between the Richmond and Carlton clubs from Melbourne—not the footy clubs, the soccer clubs of the same name.

The soccer clubs had been founded at least a year earlier and were playing regular matches in Melbourne and the first interstate matches between Victoria and New South Wales were played in 1883.

Next day, Wednesday 2 July 1884, the Advertiser carried a lengthy match report, detailing the teams, aspects of the rules which would be puzzling to observers, an estimate of crowd numbers and some critical comment on the code in comparison with the domestic game.

‘Some of the players exhibited much dexterity, but no excitement was created, and nearly all present voted the pastime decidedly slow, after the purely Australian method of playing football’.

Spence for the red and whites scored the first goal early in the second half, and Ware equalised for the blues late in the game, so it ended one-all.

The anonymous correspondent noted that there were around 300 people present at the start but not more than 100 remained at the end.

The writer noted that only the goalkeeper could handle the ball to prevent a goal and he could not carry it forward.

A crossbar or tape was in use to mark the height of the goal, a referee and two umpires who patrolled the wings and indicated when the ball was out of play by blowing a whistle.

The referee was a Mr. Gibbs, A. E. Gibbs, one of the pioneers of the game in New Zealand and Australia, who was later to be the representative of Australian soccer on the Football Association council in England.

Though the correspondent was cutting about the quality of the entertainment, this was quite common among domestic writers on Association Football in the period.

It did not prevent the game becoming established as a participatory sport in other parts of Australia in the 1880s, though the depression of the 1890s and the consequent fall in immigration resulted in a hiatus in Victoria.

Thereafter the code was reinvigorated in 1909 by Harry Dockerty and others when inward migration picked up again.

Subsequently the Dockerty Cup became the state-wide knock-out Cup which was played for until the 1990s.

The link between migration and the growth of soccer was re-established in the 1920s and again after the Second World War, and while migration is high at the moment, this is the first period when the expansion of soccer has been driven by the domestic population of Australia.