Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-24
MEETING THIS AFTERNOON
College Officials and Experts Give
Views to Commissioners.
MAY END IN ABOLIsH1NG GAME
Regulation or Absolute Prohibition
by Law Among the Possibilities.
Claims of Soccer Enthusiasts.

! ball in Washington will be played in
| Commissioner Macfarland's office this
afternoon. for til .eaders in the game
in Washington met there a. 3 o'clock
to give their expression as to what
course is best to pursue i'm the future
| The coaches of the foot ball teams of
Georgetown, George Washington and Gal
laudet, together with the members of
the faculty, who have athletics under
their eyes, have been invited to attend
and also members of the faculties of the
| washington high schools. Sporting edi-
tors of the daily papers have been ask
ed to give their opinions on the game
If possible. soccer foot ball experts will
be on and.
! The Commissioners seem determined to
| do for The game whatever public senIi-
| ment demands If the people cry out
tt abolish the game for good and all,
i then foot ball may enter the tomb waIch
bears the requiem of prize fighting. If
| tf is no such strong adverse senti-
ment it is still highly probable that
representative of the District of Column
| bia or the foot ball teams here will at
| tend the mex. meeting of the foot ball
rules committee to suggest changes that
VIII eliminate as far as possible the
dangerous features of the game
Possible Ways OF Regulation.
| Commissioner Macfarland said this
morning that If the people want it the
Commissioners will wipe foot ball off the
| g1ldlron here According to him. the
game can be put under police supervision
the same as prize fighting, although such
police regulation might be questioned.
ihere has been suggestion to let the
gaT,e go on with the police on the side.
line> to stop it when it appeared
to be getting rough. In some cities the
poi1ce surround the prize ring for just
such a purpose.
| The Commissioners can also frame
legislation and take it I'D to Congress.
where law may be enacted making foot
ball a crime. If SO, 1t will probably be
the first time that Congress has inter-
| ested itself in athletics. If such law
could be enacted it would undoubtedly
have deep effect upon the future actions
of the foot ball rules committee.
| Meantime soccer foot ball enthusiast
| o'iS 'icuch5 SIiS Ot lnClf game
for all they are worth. Much interest
Is taken in the game between
two teams of undergraduates at
Georgetown University Field tomor-
row row afternoon: George Washington
University has Interested itself in soccer
foot ball recently, and a large crowd of
athletes from that institution will be on
hand to watch the fine points. The soc
Ger game in the morning between the
Sons of st. George and the Caledonians.
lat Union League Park, is also attracting
| attention.
How Soccer Is Played.
The game of soccer is the old English
game, probably very much like those
famous games which Thomas Hughes
describes so vividly and deliciously in
-om Brown at Rugby" The adherents
OF the game just at present are shouting
loud their declaration that soccer does
not Kill At the same time it is not a
game for the spineless and short winded
1t is a manly game, full. of hard knocks
and strategy.
The ball is not carried by a runner
NO one may touch the ball with his
hands, with the solitary execution of ths
goal keeper, who in his efforts to keer
the big ball out of the net behind the
goal posts can do almost ANYTHING h.
game starts in midfeld with Il kick-off
somewhat similar to the kickoff in the
j
team kicks, dribbles and passes in Tho
efforts to protect the goal
The field is from 119 to 12o yards Ions
and from 40 TO so yards wide
the ball having to- go into the net under
tn goal bar, which is eight feet long
placed on two eight-foDt uprights Ther,
is penalty area in front of each goa
from which certain free kicks are taker
when rules are infrinS 1 near the goal.
The tactics of the game seem to resem-
BILE those of hockey and basket ball
There is no tackling. but there is ..charg.
ing. neat bit of work. whereby a
player rushes at his opponent and block
a kick with his body-something simila,
10 blocking kick in the college game
Game Full of Action.
) Soccer is full of action. just as hockey
and basket ball are. The ball flashes uI
, and down the field there is interference
OF the klnd used IN hockey, passing tbs
[ ball back and forth by dribbling il or
the ground with the feet SO that il iu,nps
from one player to another in its course
l toward the goal, while the opponents tr,
: their level best to intercept the leather
/ made use of Is known as heading A
t ball Will be kicked several feet off the
ground, much too high for man &c
I reach 1t with his foot and since he can.
not use his hands unless he is the goa
keeper he will leap into the air and fairl,
t butt the bali in any direction. The
ball does not have to be kicked straight
r ahead. If a player has the chance tc
kick, and in front of him are several op
posing players, he flash the ball t.
, his teammate behind him. or away off a
one side, and the receiving player car
kicl- or butt the ball anywhere he likes
2 If the ball goes out of bounds or behind
the goal line, and not into the net, the
q game starts off again with a throw-ir
or a kick-in
: There is much open play. and no sug
a gestion of mass play in the sense tina
the college teams know it. The rule.
specifically forbid rough and ''ungentIe.
manly tactics. and the referee has full
power to send a man off the field fo
. smuggling and kneeing. A significant fac
is that the players do not drSSs in heavil,
: padded clothes, but appear in Jerseys ant
: short knee breeches, similar TO the bas
e ket ball players. They wear woolel
y stockings turned down just below tn,
o knee, leaving bare space for free ac
p tion
y Is Popular in England.
. In England there Is much professiona
Y soccer, and the game arouses intense en-