Never on Sundays by Mick Ball [30 Nov @ 12:00am]

After some 40 years Sunday League Football is now well established on the Island and is rightly regarded as an essential part of the weekend football scene. All of the players and indeed most of the officials and referees have never known it any other way, but it was not always so. The recognition of Sunday football represented a remarkable turn about by the football establishment. In the past Sunday football was regarded by the officaldom, not the least the IWFA, as comming a close second to a mixture of devil worship and sheep stealing. Players clubs and any officials involved in Sunday football stold a good chance of collecting a sine die ban. Many did.This applied all over the country . There were strong feeling on the island when at last Sunday League football was officisaly born. It was on a Saturday in 1969 when a meeting attended by Mr Fred Tyler secretary of the Hampshire Football Association and the repesentatives of six intrested clubs decided to officially apply to the HFA for permission to form a league, under the control of the IWFA. Some of the intrested teams in entering had strange names. "Sid's Bambino's" and "Radar Onions" were two of the more bizarre. However the 5-1 decision to come under the control of the Island FA, was overturned a week later. Members of eight clubs who attended a second meeting, heard a proposal from Mr R Percival (Camp Hill) that this move would cost them more than if they went completley on their own. The meeting decided that this was a sensible move so the Island Sunday League was formed with Mr Percival taking over as the first fixture secretary. Other officers appointed were Chairman Mr D Holmes Vice Chairman Mr Harold Moody Treasures Mr R sparks Mr D Evans and Mr R Willams made up the Committee.