There is a feeling among some soccer officials and fans that a year-long season is detrimental to the game. It's the reason, they say, for falling standards.
The problem is that a winter sport is now a summer and winter sport. The district competitions, from October to April, are overlapped by the NSL divisions, which run from September to May. Many players are involved in both.
Those who are involved in both have found that registration can be tricky. Before a winter player can turn out for a summer club, he must register and he can't do that until the winter season has run its course.
Earlier this year at an international conference, hosted by the International Rugby Board in Dublin and aimed at tackling the 21st century sporting scourge of "burn-out", it was suggested that leading players should take a three-month break from rugby.
New Zealand's national rugby coach, John Mitchell, said: "There needs to be a definite close-down period when players can get away from the game."
The soccer administrators would do well to heed this advice.
- Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel was guest speaker at the awards presentation of Safa Western Province last week. He paid tribute to the pioneers of the sport in the Western Cape, mentioning the efforts of Uncle Wally Henkel, who came from the minister's neighbourhood in Ken-sington.
Henkel served at local district level of the WP Union with headquarters at Royal Road, Maitland, as secretary of the WP Football Board and later as its president.
- The Vasco da Gama masters soccer team have returned from a five-game tour of Madeira. The team captained by Joe Hilario won their games against representative sides 3-1, 4-1, 6-4, 3-1, 5-0.
Striker George van den Burg, formerly of Jamestown United, was their top goal-scorer with seven goals. Gus Rafael and captain Hilario netted four goals each. Mike Parrish was in goals and Louis Faria was a stalwart in defence. Pepe dos Santos, who is over 60, was also part of the squad.
The team was also unbeaten on their tour to Australia in 2000.