Archive for Historia
2010 Soccer Hall Inductees Announced
Toronto Metros Croatia
VAUGHAN, ON — Silvana Burtini, Gordie Ion and Dr. Walter Thomson head the list of 2010 inductees to The Soccer Hall of Fame. The three players will be inducted next year along with builders Brian Avey (executive) and Stuart Brown (coach). Also to be honoured is John Russell for the Pioneer Award, the 1976 Toronto Metros-Croatia for the Team of Distinction, and the Vancouver Firefighters for a new team award that celebrates notable success over many years.
The 2010 Soccer Hall of Fame Inductee Banquest will be hosted at the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex in Toronto, on June 5th. The Soccer Hall of Fame 2010 inductees are:
Players
Silvana Burtini – 38 goals for Canada
Silvana Burtini made her international debut for Canada against Sweden in 1987, and in 1998, while playing for Canada in a CONCACAF competition against Puerto Rico, scored eight goals in one half, a FIFA record. She was the Canadian Soccer Association’s Player of the Year in 1998, played for the Carolina Courage of the U.S. women’s professional league in 2001, was nominated for Sport B.C. Athlete of the Year in 1999 and in 2004, as a Police Officer in B.C., was presented with the British Columbia Police Award of Valour for saving a life.
Gordie Ion – Member of Canada’s first Men’s World Cup Team
Gordie Ion assisted on three of the five goals Canada scored in its first World Cup game in 1957 against the United States, and as a member of the B.C. All-Stars played against Glasgow Rangers, Huddersfield Town, Aberdeen, Tottenham Hotspur and in 1953 the Irish Football Association team that toured Canada. In 1962 he was a member of the Vancouver Firefighters team that won the John F. Kennedy Cup by beating a Mexican select team in the final.
Dr. Walter Thompson – Member of Canadian Team that toured Britain in 1888
In the days when soccer in Canada was called football, Dr. Walter Thomson, might well have been one of the most outstanding players of his generation, and his play received rave reviews in the British press during the tours Canada made to Britain in 1888 and 1891. He also played Canadian football and hockey while attending the University of Toronto and when he retired became President of the Ontario Football (Soccer) Association from 1902 to 1904. In “The Blue and White” the history of sport at the University of Toronto, T.A. Reed wrote. “Among all there is none so worthy of mention as Watty Thomson. As a player, he was nothing less than a miracle of speed, accuracy and artfulness; as a centre forward he was a model of unselfishness and a phenomenal shot on goal.”
Builders
Stuart Brown – Coached Edmonton Angels to nine Women’s National Championships
Stuart Brown led the Edmonton Angels to the first ever national championship, for women, the Jubilee Trophy, in 1982 and then went on to win it again for the next four years. He began his coaching career at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1977 and since then has won a string of awards including the Sports Alberta Coach of the Year Award.
Brian Avey – Long time Executive Director of the Ontario Soccer Association
Brian Avey was appointed Executive Director of the Ontario Soccer Association in 1978 and throughout his 25 years term in office built an infrastructure that became the envy of sport with District Branch Offices, Club Head Coaches and the latest technology. Along the way he spearheaded the building of the Ontario Soccer Centre, Canada’s first full sized indoor soccer facility, and served on numerous government task forces ranging from funding to technology. In addition his passion for the history of the sport led to the founding of The Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum in 2000.
Pioneer Award
John Russell – President of the Dominion of Canada Football Association -1925-1931
John Russell devoted a lifetime to the administration of soccer in Canada and in British Columbia in particular. He became president of the B.C. Football Association in 1920 and from 1921 to 1925 was first vice-president of the Dominion of Canada Football Association, then served as president from 1925 to 1931. He was a member of the B.C. Soccer Commission that ran the game in B.C. from 1933 to 1939 and again from 1953 to 1957. In all he devoted at least 44 years to the administration of soccer in Canada and was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 1966.
Team of Distinction
Toronto Metros-Croatia – NASL Champions in 1976
Toronto Metros-Croatia won the championship of the North American Soccer League in 1976. Croatia, led by Portuguese super-star Eusebio, defeated Minnesota Kicks 3-0 in the final played in Seattle.
The Vancouver Firefighters, national champions on four occasions between 1965 and 1990
A new category has been introduced this year that recognizes organizations that have excelled over many years. The first winners of this award are Vancouver Firefighters, winners of the national championship in 1965, 1973, 1983 and 1990 and were beaten finalists in 1961. In addition the Firemen won the B.C. provincial championship nine times and the J.F. Kennedy Cup, the west coast championship, in 1962 by defeating a Mexican all-star team.
The Soccer Hall of Fame & Museum was established at The Soccer Centre in Vaughan, Ontario, in 1999 and is dedicated to preserving and researching Canada’s soccer history. The first Induction Banquet took place in 2000.
To learn more, visit the The Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum website.
The Manager: Barney Ronay Asks The Important Questions
By Barney Ronay, The Guardian
How they used to be
Extracted from The Manager: The Absurd Ascent of the Most Important Man in Football by Barney Ronay
The manager first appeared in the late years of the 19th century, during the great flowering of soon-to-be-professional football clubs. Recruiting from the ranks of ex-players was out. At this stage there was no such thing as an ex-player. So managers were sourced from other industries, usually the senior ranks of manual labour, the factory clerk and shop steward.
Often, very little is known about these men. We do have photographs: blank, stern, narrow-eyed men in waistcoats and watch-chains. The best surviving likeness of Harry Newbould, manager of Manchester City in the early years of the last century, resembles a vaguely defeated provincial accountant (which he was).
Managers often worked seven days a week. It was a business of sleeper cars, boarding houses and the many mechanical perils of 19th-century domestic infrastructure.
Death on the job was common. John Nicholson, appointed Sheffield United secretary-manager in 1899, was run over and killed by a lorry on the way to a match. Sheffield Wednesday manager Robert Brown collapsed while boarding a train in March 1935, and Coventry City’s Dick Bayliss fell ill after a drive back from Southend during “the great freeze” of 1947.
Managers who died of the cold form a club of their own. Herbert Chapman succumbed to a chill a week after watching Arsenal’s third team play at Guildford one night in January 1934; Norwich manager James Kerr did the same a month later. On a more positive note, Millwall manager Bill Voisey survived a direct hit on the Den during a second world war air raid (he retired from his post with severe injuries).
In The Game Video
In the first of a six-part series, Barney Ronay looks at how Herbert Chapman transformed the role of the football coach from virtual secretary to integral component of the game.
Financial Problems At National Soccer Hall of Fame
By Mark Boshnack The Daily Star
Soccer Hall May Close
ONEONTA, NY — Closing the National Soccer Hall of Fame’s Oneonta facility is a possibility as the organization confronts continuing financial problems, a top official said Wednesday.
“How we operate here is something we need to think about,” said Jonathan Ullman, the organization’s president and chief operating officer. He said he did not have a timetable for when the Hall’s board of directors would make a decision.
A call for comment to board President Douglas Willies was not returned Wednesday night. Ullman has been with the Hall for nearly a year and has served as president and CEO since May.
The 40,000-square-foot facility, including four soccer fields, a museum and gift shop, was opened June 12, 1999, in the town of Oneonta, according to the Hall website. The facility is at 18 Stadium Circle off of state Route 205. From 1979 until 1998, the museum was located in the city of Oneonta, and it was recognized by the U.S. Soccer Federation in 1983. It employs nine full-time staff, with the number of part-time employees fluctuating seasonally, Ullman said.
