Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-19
SOCCER GAINS
In COLLEGES
BIG UNIVERSITIES STRONG FOR
SPORT
Or. Cecil Herbert of Yale Faculty Says
1t Is Good Play for Middle Aged
Men All the Year
Round

NEW YORK, Dec. 1S.-There is
every evidence that soccer Is shortly
to come into its own at three big uni
Versitles at least. The Yale eleven
has already played Il greater number
Of games this fall than has ever been
the case before Princeton, although
not in the Intercollegiate Soccer
league, is developing considerable en-
thusiasm for this sport. And 1t be-
came known recently that the Har-
ward athletic authorities intend to
raise soccer to the plane Of major
sports, including 1t in tho category
with football. rowing, baseball and
track. The army will also join the
procession at an early date. So thal
before very long there is every reason
to believe that this open football Will
be played on all college campuses
The Harvard soccer team already
has had a very considerable amount
Of practice and is getting more daily
on Soldiers field, which has usually
been q sort of deserted village at the
time of year All that has been
changed. Now there are usually four
or five and sometimes more soccer
elevens kicking and dribbling the ball.
Instead OF waiting for the spring,
when the regular series of intercol-
legiate soccer games is scheduled, 10
develop one team, Harvard may De
said to have at the present moment
several elevcns all highly proficient IN
this game And the Crimson is making
no secret of It's intention and desire
to carry off the championship TINS
coming year.
Training for Hockey
Not only is soccer being played by
tba members of the large squad now
candidates for the soccer H, but the
Harvard hockey men have been using
il whereby to get into condition, Many
candidates for the track and gym
teams have also been out in the past
fortnight for the same purpose. rms
state of affairs will continue until the
Christmas holidays, when the game
will nrobably be allowed to lapse until
fairly we'll along into the spring, Wheh
the ground will again be in such con-
dltion as to permit further play.
Several leading colleges will be met
earlv in the season, and Harvard has
every hope of defeating them all Par-
ticularly is she desirous of doing so
now that it is the intention to further
soccer as a major art. But there Is
another impulse which has had very
considerable influence on the Crimsons
recent decision to put this game on 4
par with all others.
II is felt in neutrality-suspicious.
bv the students of the Undergraduate
schools-that the present game OF col
lege football is not for them, nor can
it be made so regardless OF any
changes which may be made IN the
rules. They feel, according to Har-
ward senior. that the gravest defect OF
modern college athletics is that they
are not playable by a properly repre-
sentative portion of the university
According to him. what is needed in
everv such institution today is game
that will require very little equipment
thereby permitting the man of slen-
der means and who Is not member
of a varsity squad to play it-and yet
shall develop initiative, courage, ag1l-
itv and sDeed 1t is to soccer. there
fore. that the Harvard undergraduates
are now looking for this purpose.
''Take football as it is played today
said this Harvard man, "and what
chance have 1 got in it?" CThe speaker
was n slender man. weighing some las
rounds and standing about five feet
seven.) "They'd get my scalp so quick
Iy in that game that I'd never even
know ia been the leading figure in
the massacre. Yet love outdoor sport.
So that by virtue of my deficiency IN
weight and size I'm kept from doing
any real athletic work in the tan' SO
is almost every man in college situated
like myself
what we need, therefore, is a safe
and sane sport that every one OF us
can play and enjoy. We do not want
anv elaborate coaching system or
training table. We just want to feel
that once we've got our muscles
hardened up by running around we
can get out and play a hard, fast game
without fear of serious injury-and do
this regardless of the weight of the
men against whom we play. In game
like soccer big man has nothing on
his smaller opponent Speed and
courage are far more in demand than
mere brute strength. SO that, If you
are trying to find game that every
college man or preparatory school boy