Editorial from Issue 50
Notching the half century
As this is the ground-breaking, record-setting, landmark-establishing issue of SITTER! Bruce asked me to write this editorial. With pleasure, I said.
It is a tough road to hoe as editor of a soccer magazine in New Zealand. At times it seems everything is against you, in particular the position of the game in this country. I think it fair to say that common (mis)conception has soccer at an at-best fourth spot behind Rugby, Rugby League, Cricket and (ahem) Netball in New Zealand. And with people like Brendon Telfer, my most loathed sports “expert” on these shores, fervently promoting his passion of golf each day on his talkback show even that position is debatable. The apathy of some of the local soccer supporters can also be frustrating. I've heard every excuse not to buy SITTER!, and I’m sure Bruce has too.
But up against it all SITTER! has thrived where many other locally based magazines have perished. Why? In a nutshell, low production costs and a staff that puts out a magazine for nothing more than the love of the sport.
The key to SITTER!’s success has been its people. When I started the magazine way back when, I had no idea it would last beyond 1 issue, let alone 50. SITTER! has slowly built its reputation over a five year spell by being informative but not afraid to stick it’s head in where all the boots are flying. Whether you agree with the writings, rantings and assorted babblings of the contributors or not, you have to agree SITTER! stirs the thought juices like no other.
Since SITTER! began soccer’s local profile has increased, and this has helped the fanzine. The Kingz have been big contributors to this increase in profile, no doubt about that, but many other things have also held influence. The success of the current Southern Trust National League, and it’s predecessor the Smokefree Summer League is one of these. Another, although we are all loath to admit it, is the success enjoyed by Australia. Wins in the last twelve months over Scotland, Brazil and France have made the soccer world sit up and take notice of this end of the world. It has also made Kiwis sit up and think about us catching a ride on Aussies coat-tails as they climb the FIFA rankings and are able to attract a far better class of opponent. Let’s grab a slice of that action.
Congratulations to Bruce and Grant, in achieving this milestone. Self congratulations also go to me for having the foresight, spirit and courage to begin it all in the first place. Or maybe I was just bored…
Below I have written a brief history of SITTER!. To me it still makes fascinating reading. I hope you feel the same.
-- Derek Walker … who once was Boy Gorge but now knows better.
The Birth Of A Legend...
Or how some soccer fans got drunk and creative one day and SITTER! was the result...
So where did it begin? In the Queens Head actually. The main drag-based Auckland boozer was the place where me and a few mates held an impromptu meeting over a drink or several. We were, we decided, fed up with the total lack of coverage given to soccer in this country. We would do something about it.
Contributors to the inaugural issue were myself as Boy Gorge, my oldest friend the Hughes Boy, Matford, Waynewithad, Quasi, Obsean, Almeria and I dare say Wombat had some input. As he does.
At the time I was working for ACP Magazines in Auckland (North & South, Metro, Next etc). I had invaluable assistance from a number of people there in getting things started, most notably Simon “The Rat” Rattray, an illustrator for North & South magazine who designed the SITTER! logo that today still graces the magazine and associated merchandise. The Rat was to continue contributing his unique illustrations to SITTER! a long time after that first issue.
Also of immense help early on was my brother-in-law Ian, who owned a desk-top publishing company at the time. Without Ian’s help, the early copies of SITTER! would have been a typewriter/scissors/tape eyesore - with Ian’s help they were models of design splendour. Ian helped out until I was able to by my own PC, and was also always on hand to peddle the thing outside grounds, the most thankless of fanzine-related tasks.
The first night selling SITTER! was at Gallagher Park, Manurewa for a Friday night mid-winter rainswept delight. We sold 13 copies and amongst the first buyers
were Jim Church, Matt Fowler and Mark O’Donnell (your place in New Zealand soccer folklore is secured guys). We took great delight in this, and so we proceded to get drunk while watching the game to celebrate. I seem to remember my friend Sean driving my car home to Mount Roskill for me that night…
As things progressed, some of the inaugural SITTER! staff dropped away. Other commitments, careers, a realisation that being a fan was easier than writing about being a fan, all reasons our staff numbers dwindled…
… but not for long. As people left, and word of mouth spread about SITTER! I was contacted by a myriad of people from all around the country and from overseas. New Zealand - contrary to popular conception - is full of folk with an intense passion for the game. Contributions started to arrive in the P.O. Box, and through this I was fortunate to meet a good number of people who I regard as friends today. This was one of the greatest rewards of editing SITTER! for me, meeting people like myself with a passion for the game, and my life improved immeasurably as a result.
Eventually, things got a bit too much for me. By now I was also presenting a soccer show on the radio - as well as doing guest spots on two other stations - and with a full-time job to also attend to, I reluctantly (but sensibly) decided to give SITTER! away. Bruce heard, contacted me, and the rest is geography…
I am often asked why I no longer contribute to SITTER! To this question I respond with two answers;
I am now a full-time student, having nearly finished my second year of a Bachelor of Education Degree (teaching, seeing as you ask). I find now that after having prepared a two thousand word essay discussing the merits and limitations of social constructivism, behaviourism and social cognitive theory I have only a limited amount of time and energy left for other pursuits. Believe me, I’d rather write two thousand words about soccer. In fact, I’d rather write two thousand words about soil, but that’s something between myself and my lecturers.
The fact is I do still contribute, both to SITTER! and to a couple of other publications (in NZ and abroad). I do so in most cases under pseudonyms, and no, don’t ask, if I told you I’d have to kill you.
Lastly, I’ve often heard it said that SITTER! is not as funny as it used to be. Perhaps this is true, but would you rather be a part of something you can laugh at, or be part of something that contributes to the betterment of the game here like no other before it? I know I’d choose the latter.
As this is the ground-breaking, record-setting, landmark-establishing issue of SITTER! Bruce asked me to write this editorial. With pleasure, I said.
It is a tough road to hoe as editor of a soccer magazine in New Zealand. At times it seems everything is against you, in particular the position of the game in this country. I think it fair to say that common (mis)conception has soccer at an at-best fourth spot behind Rugby, Rugby League, Cricket and (ahem) Netball in New Zealand. And with people like Brendon Telfer, my most loathed sports “expert” on these shores, fervently promoting his passion of golf each day on his talkback show even that position is debatable. The apathy of some of the local soccer supporters can also be frustrating. I've heard every excuse not to buy SITTER!, and I’m sure Bruce has too.
But up against it all SITTER! has thrived where many other locally based magazines have perished. Why? In a nutshell, low production costs and a staff that puts out a magazine for nothing more than the love of the sport.
The key to SITTER!’s success has been its people. When I started the magazine way back when, I had no idea it would last beyond 1 issue, let alone 50. SITTER! has slowly built its reputation over a five year spell by being informative but not afraid to stick it’s head in where all the boots are flying. Whether you agree with the writings, rantings and assorted babblings of the contributors or not, you have to agree SITTER! stirs the thought juices like no other.
Since SITTER! began soccer’s local profile has increased, and this has helped the fanzine. The Kingz have been big contributors to this increase in profile, no doubt about that, but many other things have also held influence. The success of the current Southern Trust National League, and it’s predecessor the Smokefree Summer League is one of these. Another, although we are all loath to admit it, is the success enjoyed by Australia. Wins in the last twelve months over Scotland, Brazil and France have made the soccer world sit up and take notice of this end of the world. It has also made Kiwis sit up and think about us catching a ride on Aussies coat-tails as they climb the FIFA rankings and are able to attract a far better class of opponent. Let’s grab a slice of that action.
Congratulations to Bruce and Grant, in achieving this milestone. Self congratulations also go to me for having the foresight, spirit and courage to begin it all in the first place. Or maybe I was just bored…
Below I have written a brief history of SITTER!. To me it still makes fascinating reading. I hope you feel the same.
-- Derek Walker … who once was Boy Gorge but now knows better.
The Birth Of A Legend...
Or how some soccer fans got drunk and creative one day and SITTER! was the result...
So where did it begin? In the Queens Head actually. The main drag-based Auckland boozer was the place where me and a few mates held an impromptu meeting over a drink or several. We were, we decided, fed up with the total lack of coverage given to soccer in this country. We would do something about it.
Contributors to the inaugural issue were myself as Boy Gorge, my oldest friend the Hughes Boy, Matford, Waynewithad, Quasi, Obsean, Almeria and I dare say Wombat had some input. As he does.
At the time I was working for ACP Magazines in Auckland (North & South, Metro, Next etc). I had invaluable assistance from a number of people there in getting things started, most notably Simon “The Rat” Rattray, an illustrator for North & South magazine who designed the SITTER! logo that today still graces the magazine and associated merchandise. The Rat was to continue contributing his unique illustrations to SITTER! a long time after that first issue.
Also of immense help early on was my brother-in-law Ian, who owned a desk-top publishing company at the time. Without Ian’s help, the early copies of SITTER! would have been a typewriter/scissors/tape eyesore - with Ian’s help they were models of design splendour. Ian helped out until I was able to by my own PC, and was also always on hand to peddle the thing outside grounds, the most thankless of fanzine-related tasks.
The first night selling SITTER! was at Gallagher Park, Manurewa for a Friday night mid-winter rainswept delight. We sold 13 copies and amongst the first buyers
were Jim Church, Matt Fowler and Mark O’Donnell (your place in New Zealand soccer folklore is secured guys). We took great delight in this, and so we proceded to get drunk while watching the game to celebrate. I seem to remember my friend Sean driving my car home to Mount Roskill for me that night…
As things progressed, some of the inaugural SITTER! staff dropped away. Other commitments, careers, a realisation that being a fan was easier than writing about being a fan, all reasons our staff numbers dwindled…
… but not for long. As people left, and word of mouth spread about SITTER! I was contacted by a myriad of people from all around the country and from overseas. New Zealand - contrary to popular conception - is full of folk with an intense passion for the game. Contributions started to arrive in the P.O. Box, and through this I was fortunate to meet a good number of people who I regard as friends today. This was one of the greatest rewards of editing SITTER! for me, meeting people like myself with a passion for the game, and my life improved immeasurably as a result.
Eventually, things got a bit too much for me. By now I was also presenting a soccer show on the radio - as well as doing guest spots on two other stations - and with a full-time job to also attend to, I reluctantly (but sensibly) decided to give SITTER! away. Bruce heard, contacted me, and the rest is geography…
I am often asked why I no longer contribute to SITTER! To this question I respond with two answers;
I am now a full-time student, having nearly finished my second year of a Bachelor of Education Degree (teaching, seeing as you ask). I find now that after having prepared a two thousand word essay discussing the merits and limitations of social constructivism, behaviourism and social cognitive theory I have only a limited amount of time and energy left for other pursuits. Believe me, I’d rather write two thousand words about soccer. In fact, I’d rather write two thousand words about soil, but that’s something between myself and my lecturers.
The fact is I do still contribute, both to SITTER! and to a couple of other publications (in NZ and abroad). I do so in most cases under pseudonyms, and no, don’t ask, if I told you I’d have to kill you.
Lastly, I’ve often heard it said that SITTER! is not as funny as it used to be. Perhaps this is true, but would you rather be a part of something you can laugh at, or be part of something that contributes to the betterment of the game here like no other before it? I know I’d choose the latter.