Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-10-31
NORTHEAST READY
FOR SOCCER OPENER
1wo Games On Today for
Start Of High School
League
CENTRAL VERSUS SOUTHERN
BY PAUL. PREP

Two contests will mark the opening
Of the Philadelphia High School Soccer
League this afternoon. Northeast High
the present titleholders. and German :
town High will battle OH the former
field. and Central will oppose Southern
IIigh on the latter's grounds.
There were originally three games
scheduled for the opening day. which
would have brought all six teams IN ac'
ton. Eut the West Philadelphia High
Frnnkford clash has been postponed ia
Thursday afternoon. This game Will be
played at the Harry Mackey Field,
Forty seventh and Spruce streets.
The Archives have Il veteran eleven
this year and Coach Gerney thinks the
boys will win another title. German
town High. nfter getting off to q poor
start, has shown some fine form In re-
cent games. especially against Catholic
High last week. and should give the
champions a tough tussle.
Not much is known OF Southern or
Central High. The lntter has partici. !.
patcd In several pre-. league battles and
did not show so good.
Coach Jones. Of the West Philadcl.
phia High team, declares this years y
eleven il stronger than the one that
fought Northeast to a tic last year.
Frankfort Game Real Test
lie thinks the Frankford game will
test the real strength of his team. The
Pioneers have ono Of the strongest
clevens that ever represented the school
and Bobby Wetter, the basketball star.
plays q prominent part in making It so.
Soccer has been rapidly gaining favor
in the high schools OF tho city. There
was q tirle when Northeast High was
the only institution that could bOrst of
a real team. For years this school wns
tho scholastic titleholdcr, and on several
occasions defeated the represent atiye
college elevens OF this vicinity.
As new high schools sprang up and
the popularity Of the sport increased,
Northeast was pressed hard to retain
the championship hOnors. lntercl loss
soccer leagues were organized in various
schools to bring out as many candidates
AZ possible for tho clcvens.
In 1917 the report Of the soccer com.
mittee showed that In the public htsh
teams, consisting Of 010 individuals.
teams, seventy three section or class
teams and 1l43 participants. This
number was even further increased in
1910. One hundred and thirty -four
teams, which brought 2054 boys into
action, were uncovered.
At present every high school in the
city conducts IN interclass league.
These leagues are each made up Of from
twenty to sixty elevens. Such organi.
zation has quito naturally given great
impetus to the development of soccer.
Committee Named In 1918
In April. 1913. the first committee
was appointed by the Supervisory
Board. In the following season tho
Soccer Committee recommended among
other things that soccer b. recognized
as major sport. that letters no
awarded to the contestants a. In tho
case Of the major sports.
1t was later suggested that each
school furnish its uniforms and pro.
fessl0nal referee be used in the games.
Then In 1910 It was unanimously
agreed to obtain approved referces and
to assess each school for the payment
Of their services. By 1920 every high
school in the city recognized soccer as
n major sport.
The winners Of the scholastic cham.
piOnShip since 1910 have been as fol.
lows: l0l7-1S.10, Frankford High;
1870, West Philadelphia High; 1921,
NertAsast High.