A Soccer Fans Forgotten Dream: the William Kennard
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A Soccer Fan’s Forgotten Dream: The William Kennard Cup Anthony Hughes School of History University of New South Wales In February 1995 the University of New South Wales (UNSW) defeated Sydney University 2-0 in a pre-season friendly game. While this result is unremarkable given the former’s higher league status in the New South Wales Soccer Federation and their semi professional set-up—it was the catalyst to write this short paper. As a former Wales player of many years standing I was of course delighted to hear the Blue and Golds had been defeated and that games between the two clubs (outside of intervarsity competition) had been resumed after a nine year break. My delight, however soon turned to bewilderment as Wales’s young bucks related to me that Sydney University had ‘given us back’ the Jameson Trophy1 which they had described as the trophy for a former annual competition between the Universities of Sydney which they had held for some time. In the short space of nine years dependence on oral tradition had let us all down. Even members of my own beloved club had not been able to rebuke the Sydney claim- even though the symbol of supremacy in University soccer in Sydney-the William Kennard Cup— had been residing in the trophy cabinet in the Roundhouse at the University of New South Wales since 1986, when Wales had defeated Sydney University 3-2 to win the trophy for the tenth successive year. This monotonous winning run, the higher status of the Kensington side and their congested pre-season commitments had led to a loss of interest in the Kennard Cup and the abandonment of the annual fixtures. Why, you may surmise does any of this deserve a place in our learned Bulletin? The answer lies in the history of this trophy—the neglect of which is yet another example of soccer not hanging on to its traditions in Australia. Kennard had gone the way of the famous Gardener,2 Rainsford and numerous other cups and trophies played for in state soccer over the years. Soccer in New South Wales (and Australia) has a way of forgetting its past. This self inflicted amnesia has been one of the many contributing 16 ASSH Bulletin No. 24 • June 1996 factors to the myth that soccer has never been a popular game in the state except amongst post-World War II migrants. William Kennard was a London East End Jew with a talent for numbers who served in the RAF as a wireless operator in World War II. He was wounded in a bombing raid in 1939 and later served in Brussells as the allies pushed towards Berlin in 1944-45. A fanatical Charlton Athletic fan he obtained tickets to the 1946 (a 4-l loss to Derby County) and 1947 FA Cup Finals. In 1947 he had the pleasure of seeing his beloved Charlton defeat Bumley — the only goal of the game being scored by Duffy. He migrated with his family from London to Sydney in 1947. His son Colin described him as a ‘typical pom’ who got away from England to avoid the continuation of war-time restriction and rationing.3 His involvement in soccer before coming to Australia had been as a referee in local amateur soccer. He settled in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney and had soon established a thriving business. Kennard was, consistent with his faith, a supporter of the Sydney Hakoah club— then on its way to being Australia’s most successful club and one which was run by men of the calibre of Walter Sternberg, Ben Nathan and later on Frank Lowey— and many others.4 The 1950s was a propitious time for New South Wales soccer and the Hakoah club was to the fore in the controversial events which saw the newly emerging ethnic based clubs wresting control of the game from the Anglo establishment of the New South Wales Soccer Association. The meeting at which the breakaway New South Wales Soccer Federation was initiated was held in the Eastern Suburbs home of Hakoah club president Walter Sternberg on 5 January 19575 and William Kennard was one of those present. In that first season of the Federation Kennard served on its promotion committee6 and was one of several Hakoah men on the management committee of the Federation. The pre-eminence of Hakoah men at the helm of the game in NSW and indeed in Australia was to continue until the demise for Hakoah as a professional club in 1986. One of the initiatives of the fledgling association was to introduce preseason night soccer at Lidcombe oval in Sydney’s Western Suburbs. These games were an outstanding success story with double headers attracting large crowds; the Sydney Morning Herald reported in the autumn of 1957: Hughes • Kennard Cup 17 Nearly 4500 people last night saw the Federation of Soccer clubs successfully present its first soccer matches. The matches Austral v Auburn and APIA v Hakoah were played under lights at Lidcombe Oval. The standard of the play and the presentation of the matches left little to be desired. Federation officials were delighted with the attendance and the gate was nearly £300.7 William Kennard was the patron of this first Federation competition. He donated the magnificent silver cup which bears his name and a prize of £l00 for the winning team. The players in the final were payed additional appearance £4 10s—£2 paid by their club and the remainder made up by the Federation. The competition gave the Federation the opportunity to put its new ideas for soccer into action and to put on display some of the top class players it had begun to attract from Europe. Kennard, steeped in the traditions of English soccer and a shrewd businessman recognised both the opportunities available to the Federation to capture a new market by going to Friday night football- the first such competition run by any code in Australia— and the exposure his own business house could gain from being linked to the promotion. On his arrival in Australia Kennard had become involved in the rag trade but quickly diversified his business interests—by 1960 these ranged from the sale of sporting goods8 to property development. He became one of the first developers of former slum areas of Sydney into commercial space and the development of home units in the city’s Eastern Suburbs.9 He was a marvellous salesman but also a generous man and well known community worker.10 It was the combination of his business acumen, charitable nature and love of football that led to his sponsorship of the Federation’s first competition before it was even known if the organisation would be a success. He would have been gratified when Hakoah took out the first Kennard Cup by defeating Lane Cove 5-1 on Friday 27 March 1957 in front of almost 4500 people. Three of the goals were scored by European import Heinz Schussig and two by Frank Hearne. Former English professional Billy Walsh also turned out for Hakoah. This was an outstanding achievement by Hakoah who had been second division champions the previous season. They played irresistible football in that first Federation competition, Schussig in particular was a revelation. Apart from his hat-trick in the final he bagged two goals in the first 18 ASSH Bulletin No. 24 • June 1996 round 3-2 victory over Apia11 and an amazing six in the 6-0 demolition of Eastern Suburbs at Arlington Oval in the quarter final.12 Gratifying as this competition win must have been for Kennard and the executive of Hakoah it did bring to the fore issues that were troubling the Jewish club. The Jewish Board of Directors recieved complaints from the Jewish community about its use of non-Jewish players and the staging of competitions on a Friday night. In the end these problems were solved and Hakoah went on to play an important role in Sydney Jewish affairs as well as it’s leading role in professional soccer in this country. The 1957 Kennard Cup and the innovation of Friday night soccer was a promising start for the new Federation—it drew 19 000 people to its five rounds.13 The 1958 competition proved to be even more popular. The prize money was increased to £500 and the Ampol Petroleum Company began its long affiliation with the game by becoming a joint sponsor. Ampol saw the potential for soccer following the success of the Federation’s first season. Its chairman Sir William Walkley, who became one of the games best administrators becoming chairman of the Australian Soccer Federation in 1963, saw soccer as ‘the sport that could do most to bring old and new Australians together and aid the newcomers’ assimilation’.14 The first four nights of the 1958 competition at Lidcombe Oval attracted 20 858 people. When Corrimal United defeated Auburn in front of 4641 fans ‘two bus loads and twenty-nine car loads of people made the trip from Wollongong for the match’.15 The semi-finals, Canterbury-Marrickville versus Prague and Hakoah versus Corrimal, produced ‘the finest club football in Sydney since the war’. On display that night were players of the calibre of Billy Walsh, Jules Forgacs and Schussig of Hakoah, Keith Learmouth of Corrimal and Austrian international imports Leo Baumgartner and Karl Jarros of Prague. Hakoah made the final again on the back of goals by Schussig and Forgacs but were unable to defend their title. In front of 8028 people Canterbury-Marrickville defeated them by four goals to three in a thriller.