17 July 1912, Barrier Miner

FOOTBALL. 

"Soccer, soccer," you hear a number of apparently intelligent educated murmur. "Let's see! Ah! I know. This is the new summer cool drink. Manufacturer must be getting in earlv, though." ''Wassatt you say? A game of football. Dear me, what names they do be inventing nowadays, to be sure," and so on and such like and so forth. 
For the express purpose of enlightening a large number of Hillites who have probably been underground for a long tune, it may be stated that 'soccer' is the name only by which association football is known throughout the world. It is a game of FOOTBALL (capital letters, please. Mr. Editor) played with the feet, and consequently differs slightly from the Australian invention. It is a game, moreover, that attracts a trifling attendance of 120,000 excited spectators to witness the Cup Final. This match may be fairly stated to be the premier sporting event which takes places in Merrie England, where it is alleged, the average person takes his sport sadly. 
"Soccer'' has not yet in Australia reached the English standard of enthusiasm, but the day is not far distant when the British Association pastime will claim its thousands of adherents. The game has already become popular on the Barrier, as witness the interest taken by the people is the few matches played to date. 
Now Hillites will be enabled to watch this fascinating sport as an interstate function, and from present appearances everything points to a successful issue on Saturday next, when a combined team from South Australia will try conclusions with a Barrier contingent on the Western Oval. 
The following players will supply a strong combination:— J. Reedie, C. Nixon (captain), Langstaff, Reynolds, Handley, Normington, H. Smith, W. Mellor, Bastian, Clements, Macarthy, Aldridge, Cleal, Shelley, Brown, and Kemp. A team from the foregoing ought to be able to wipe out the defeat experienced by Broken Hill last Easter, when they met South Australia in the wheat State. 
The Umberumbikans intend to make July 21 a red letter day, when it is proposed to entertain the visiting team. The men from the waterworks have a style all their own, and I am tipping a great surprise for Mr. Holiday and his crowd. 
As showing the friendly feeling of the B.R.F.A. towards the soccerites, that body has decided to stand down on the 20th, thereby giving a chance to all those who are not racily inclined to witness the first interstate British Association football contest played on the Barrier.