New-York tribune., 1918-09-15
Soccer 81 e>g,h
Is O .ly Partly
Sapped by War
BY G. A. L.ovett

inter or summer, soccer football
seems to be about the only professional
sport which does not depend upon
horse flesh or gas engines to remain
on the menu The kicking game, which
has made phenomenal strides in the
United States in the last few seasons,
Is entering upon 4 year that promises
much. all things considered. The fall
to-spring sport will not be so restricted
in 191s19 as some may think.
Many Of the minor leagues and
competitions have been forced to sus-
pend on account of the player shortage
In some localities amalgamations of
prominent leagues have resulted in
more powerful organizations than ex
isted there before war conditions re-
duced radically the number of teams
N the field.
keglstration Of players, both anna
teur and professional, thus far indi-
Gates that at least 10000 of the $4,000
Iesislereo players IN the country will
pe IN UNIFORM again this season. All.
or nearl all, of course, are of draft
age and the fact that they can con-
vlhue TO play soccer is due to their en-
Ploylnent IN war industries. This is
particularly true of teams haling from,
ne steel mill cities of Pennsylvania.
ONO and other states; from the textile
owns OF New Eng gland. the automobile
lnouslry centres in Ohio and the ship
along the Great Lakes
inaeed' when the 1916 service selec-
Ions are made, football will have to
oepehd l>rgely upon these Industrial
centres % remain alive, professionally.
turing he period If the war. Schnoi
oeceI, "n'ch IS On an ever growing
Ssa5e oe enc end has reached the PROPORTIONS
VI 70 0oO comes annually in PITTSBURGH
puoilc schools and .imi!arly ljsn
naturally, unaffected, The game viii
coh'inue to be one of the most Dlavcd
ol al sports at army and navy canton
"1ehts Doth IN this country and abroad
Strong shipyards Leagues
several strong shipyards soccer
ie"sueS nave been formed, that super
slSeo oy the Delaware River Shipyards
annette Association and taking IN an
even dozen teams from wards in Della.
ware Eastern Pennsylvania and New
Jersey Deihg perhaps the most prom
iSlhg, IN the metropolitan district.
largely through the efforts Of Wllfrid
hoiywood, formerly secretary Of The
New iork State Foo ball League, the
Netropo lltan District Shipyards Soccer
league mas been formed, with mead
hotei. At meeting last week the
Io.owlng officers were elected for
1915 ~. President, ). f. DavI,. S,,o-
marine Boat Corporation; vlce-presi-
dent w. II. Day, Downey Sh pbu,ld,r,,
Corporation; treasurer, W. Bey.rs.
NewDufgh Shlpyards, Inc, and sccre
tary, W: Hol.ywood. 263 SIxty-second
Street, Brooklyn
Llght yards in this vicinity, five in
ne" ofH State and three in New Jer-
sey, are represented in the league. as
fo-lows: Federal Shlpbuildinc Com
pany' hearny, n. j.; Submarine Boat
corporation, Newark; 1ieljen g. Lang
Drydock Company, Hoboken; Standard
Shipbulidlng Company, Shooters ISL
and; Downey Shipbullding Corpora
ton, Staten Island; Morse Dry Dock
Company, Brooklyn; Robbins Dry Dock
Company, Brooklyn, and Newburgh
Shipyards. Inc, Newburgh. The season
IN this league will start October 6.
The New York State Football League.
which for want of progressive Ameri-
can leadership has not prospered as 1t
should even under normal conditions,
hdo GtSi' loiCcu 10 AmdtEamate tor
l91S-l9 with the Metropoli an League,
under the title of the New York Com
blnation Association Football League.
T. Hadtieid Bagnall. of Harrison, n. j.,
a non-citizen, who was not returned
10 the national treasurership at the
annual U. S. F. A. meeting, was made
president.
These clubs have announced their
intention to participate in the cham
pionship series of the Combination
League: Viking F. G., Fulton A. c.,
lnterborough +. c.. Manhattan f. c.,
Longfellow +. c. and La Sultanas. The
Can MacDufs, Bradhurst F. c. and
Queens F. c. are prospective pennant
chasers.
Plans for the national championships
the National Chal engc Cup Compe-
titiOn-have gone along in the regular
way, the Y. S. F. A. cup commi tee
setting noon OF October 5 as the dead
line on entries and announcing the
following dates for the completion Of
the various rounds: Preliminary
round, October 20; first, November II;
second, December %; third, February
8, 1919; fourth. March 2; semi-hnals,
March 80; final, April 90 For the first
time this year ali clubs entering the
competition are required to provide
inclosed grounds for games in the
title series.
Red Sox to "Barn Storm"