Episode 55 - Vince Manno, and the Victorian Police Soccer Club

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We begin the episode by congratulating Andy Harper for receiving his PhD in Australian soccer history.  George Cotsanis has been uploading photos from the collection of Brunswick Juventus player Dino DeMarchi, of Juventus in the 1960s. This leads to a brief segue into discussions of soccer temporarily claiming grounds vacated by Australian Rules and rugby league teams which sought new audiences and facilities in suburbia. We then go into a brief discussion of the history of works teams in New South Wales in the 1930s, and whether the players for those company teams were also employed by the companies.

This leads into a chat about social/works team football, prompted by the reminiscences of well known Victorian referee Alan Clark, and equivalent characters from the Sydney scene. They describe what was once a healthy work based soccer (and sport) scene, which for soccer often included teams made up of ex-NSL and state league players. Clark's posts on the Australian Football Before the A-League Facebook page also point towards one factor in the decline in company sports teams - the costs of dealing with workers compensation claims which came from employees injured while playing for teams effectively endorsed by the relevant company.

Ian then expounds on the puzzling nature of the Tasmanian press' seeming obsession with soccer violence and injuries from outside Tasmania - a line of inquiry which Paul thinks needs more data for the making of an effective comparison. The finally - for now - trying to figure where exactly Melbourne soccer stops in the 1890s, and whether Ian's previous research has stopped short of the actual stop in competition. (hint: yes, he did)

Our guest this week is Vince Manno, of the Victoria Police Soccer Club, who is attempting gather information on the history of the VPSC as well as members of Victoria Police who have also played soccer in mainline competitions. We cover:

• The history of the Victorian Police Soccer Club, which was born in the late 19

  

  Logo for Taxation United, the soccer 
  club of the Australian Tax Office.
  

  40s, which ibcludes its initial formation by migrant British officers; its participation in the Victorian league system in the 1950s; and then eventually becoming an outlet for social, charity, and public goodwill fixtures.
• This includes charity matches such as the Tony Clarke Memorial Shield, as well as games againsr
• The VPSC's place within the broader sporting and social wing of the Victorian Police force.
• The small advantages that researching in this field has over others - including being able to gain access to Victorian Police personnel files, and the existence of Victoria Police museum.
• The disadvantages in researching Victorian Police involvement with soccer - in particular the existence of the VPSC outside the bounds of mainline competition for most of its history - but especially the obstacle of database searches for "police" and "soccer" more often often than not turning up results for violent incidents at soccer matches, or related court proceedings.
• The charitable and social nature of the modern day VPSC being to get press in smaller, localised publications, such as suburban press, while the activity of Victoria Police related to 
• The difficulty in tracking members of Victoria Police who play in mainline competitions, whose identity as Victoria Police officers is not at the forefront of their soccer identity. 

If anyone has information, photographs, or memorabilia, please contact Paul at blackmissionary@hotmail.com, so we can pass them along to Vince Manno. 

In 100 Years Ago Today, most of the soccer seasons around the country are beginning to wrap up. We begin in Lithgow, with a notice of finals matches; then to Brisbane, where the Corinthians hold a dance, while old rivals Thistles and Pineapple Rovers square off; then to Newcastle, where Ian notes that one article starts with commending the officiating rather than making mention of the match - in the same article we ponder at the possibility that Weston was punished with regards to hosting a Gardiner Cup tie, because of their having left the South Maitland association; then finally o Melbourne, where Ian demonstrates - using an extreme example - the difficulty in cleaning up Trove's attempts at  text recognition; and finally half a match report, and the final score from the final of Melbourne's 1920 league season.