If you know your history . . .

Football Federation Victoria (FFV) History Committee today. Met up with the committee at the FFV headquarters on St Kilda Road. Great little coffee shop below the FFV was the forum for much discussion, including: Moreland City U13 B's failure to capitalise on a 2-0 half-time lead over Fawkner in a game they ended up drawing 2-2, Man City's ascension, female referees, whether Victorian referees were too soft on hard tackles or vice versa.

Our job is to encourage and enable the preservation and recording of the game's history in Victoria. We meet monthly and discuss issues like the digitisation of Victorian Football history, Football museums and the storage of heritage items, the written history of the game in Victoria.

Today we met in Training Room #2 in which we were overlooked by a framed Matildas' shirt.

Matilda's 2006 team shirt with signatures.

Important issues for today's meeting were the ongoing difficulty of getting the print media to acknowledge FFV competitions, the new Sporting Pulse system for entering match results and nominations for the Hall of Fame. Some discussion was also held as to whether 2013 or 2014 represented 130 years of organised soccer in Victoria. The jury is still out, though 2014 is the 130 anniversary of organised club competition.

1956 Socceroo, Ted Smith, Historians Roy Hay and Paul Mavroudis,
pondering a weighty issue in today's meeting.

Maggie Koumi revealed to the committee the recently recovered McQuarrie-Rocco Award (for the most valuable Victorian state team players), set up to memorialise two outstanding young women players who lost their lives in a car accident returning from a game in Sydney. Some discussion was had as to its purpose in the future given that interstate competition is a thing of the past.

Maggie Koumi holds the McQuarrie-Rocco Award for the most valuable State team player.

 

Winners include Fiona Young, Carolyn Monk, Theresa Jones (Deas), Amanda Norgate,
Andrea Martin, Leeanne Hamilton, Kate Walker.

On the way out we notice these two glorious remnants of Victorian soccer history, the Armstrong Cup and the Dockerty Cup at the FFV reception desk. Playing for these would be one way of bringing our game's history alive.

A very shiny Armstrong Cup. Roy Hay on Armstrong Cup.

The Dockerty Cup, in all its glory. Roy Hay on Harry Dockerty.