Episode 80 - Roy Hay on John James Liston

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It starts with banter.

Then into the West Gate Bridge disaster of 1970, and specifically the death in the disaster of local soccer identity Bill Harburn.

Then onto a quiz question which excludes the usual suspects from answering. But also, where's the history section on the George Cross website? And is there a protest solution?

Paul notes that Greg Stock has been updating NSL season files on OzFootball, but has some suggestions on how they could be further improved.

We also note the latest update to Mark Boric's site. And FNR flags and Paul's mum sewing.

After the break we have Roy Hay on to discuss the strange case of John James "JJ" Liston (and here's something with more soccer content), who in the 1930s and 40s was president of the Australian Rules body the Victorian Football Association, as well as president of the Victorian Amateur Soccer Football Association. We discuss, among other things: 

• Liston's background, and his wide variety of business, social, and sporting interests.
• The declining condition of football - culturally, economically, politically - in the 1930s; and the idea of the 1930s as a sort of "dark age" when it comes to our understanding of history.
• Ruminations on soccer's status as a participation and migrant sport, which had yet to become a localised/native game.
• The squeezing out of Harry Dockerty from the presidency of Victorian soccer.
• Whether Liston was hands on in his leadership of Victorian soccer, or more of a honorary patron.
• The reaction among the various soccer and Australian rules faction to Liston's taking up Victorian soccer's presidency.
• His idea of merging soccer and Australian rules.
• The soccer (and other) trophies named after Liston, which have since disappeared.
• Liston's son John Ernest being parachuted into the Victorian soccer presidency following J.J's death in 1944.

In the final segment, we have a short 100 Years Ago Today, where five clubs are split across two divisions; and across to Adelaide, where stuff is happening; and to Fremantle, where the local Caledonians come across as sore losers.