1. ANDREW ARIS: a former NZ U-20 international & North Shore National League player, and one of our longest-serving overseas players (Notre Dame University, USA 1996-2000 & lower German leagues: Rot-Weiss Erfurt 2000- 2007) has been attracting some international attention with the football project he's been heading called"The Spirit of Football": his organization is celebrating the global game and it's origins and trying to help Africa out. They've been kicking a football from London to South Africa. Arrived safely for the Opening Ceremony...
See this interesting written article on the CNN website:
Their project started out with a recreation of the first- ever game of Association Football which happened in 1864 at Battersea Park, London. This game resulted from the formation of the English FA and the Association Rules the previous October and saw the birth of modern football, which with a few later refinements, is the game we know and love today.
Website for "The Ball" and its journey from Battersea to Johannesburg, postings by Andrew:
Article about Andrew's career (he even worked on the organizing commitee for the 2006 World Cup in Germany): www.times.co.nz/cms/sport/sports_news/2006/05/art100011566.php2.
2. CHARLES CRAVEN DACRE: The top article above doesn't mention it, but amazingly a New Zealander actually played in that first-ever game of Association Football in 1864 (probably the only foreign-born player involved)- one Charles Craven Dacre, whose family were amongst the founders of Auckland. He was a colonial lad studying at the Royal College of Agriculture at the time- and one of England's best football players of the day. He helped draw up the rules of Association Football and later became Secretary of the English FA.
2. CHARLES CRAVEN DACRE: The top article above doesn't mention it, but amazingly a New Zealander actually played in that first-ever game of Association Football in 1864 (probably the only foreign-born player involved)- one Charles Craven Dacre, whose family were amongst the founders of Auckland. He was a colonial lad studying at the Royal College of Agriculture at the time- and one of England's best football players of the day. He helped draw up the rules of Association Football and later became Secretary of the English FA.
So, Kiwis have been involved in Association Football right from the word go.
This makes Dacre of course, our first-ever overseas player- and actually the first-ever overseas player in the world from any country- and you simply can't be more of a "first-ever" player all-around...
It's interesting how violent early Association Football was. Dacre himself was hospitalised and almost died...
But fortunately he survived to bring Association Football home to these shores (especially to North Shore, the eminant club he helped found).
Incredibly, Dacre also played in the first-ever game of provincial rugby between Auckland and Canterbury, on returning home.
Article on Dacre and Origins of Football: (scroll down to relevant passage):
Also in online "Cyclopedia of New Zealand" from 1902:
Big Pete 652010-07-08 05:31:54