The Globe -- Bethlehem
Thursday, March 11, 1920
A Swing Along Athletic Row

Chances for Soccer Game Look Good
"Well, at last we have the playing space all cleared and every indication for resuming the soccer campaign on Saturday afternoon looks good," was the cheerful tidings received over the telephone this morning from the office at the Bethlehem Steel athletic field. This means that the Bethlehem F. C. will get back into harness again after a forced idleness of nine weeks. The ray of old Sol coupled with the occasional sprinkling of rain played an important part in consuming the heavy layer of ice that caked the field. One or two days of clear weather will greatly assist in drying up the turf and rounding the field into a t least half decent condition. Soccer fans will welcome this announcement with joy for they have been deprived of their favorite pleasure this season longer than ever before. "Will the players be in condition for a good grueling grind?" is a question upper most in the minds of the Bethlehem cohorts. Many contend that by the long delay they have relaxed in their training and will hardly be fit to set a hard pace for the fully ninety minutes. All of the local crowd are clean livers and although unable to get outdoors for their regular workouts have been conditioning in the gymnasium. Then again should the team be weakened by the lack of practice, the opponents surely suffered the same handicap, and the battle is certain to be on an even basis. Yesterday was the first outdoor practice in weeks and then it was merely a sort of preliminary workout in which the players picked out the "hard" spots on the field and limbered up by booting the ball. The Wanderers, the same Wanderers who nine weeks ago were booked to display their wares in a National Cup game here, will be the Saturday afternoon opponents.

Baseball or Soccer
The directors of the athletic activities at the Bethlehem Steel Co. plant are confronted with a rather perplexing proposition. They have to decide whether the athletic field will be retained for soccer purposes until all the campaigning is completed or will the grounds be given over to baseball. It's a cinch that if the National and American Cup competitions and National League schedule are carried out in full, the booting adherents will be right in the midst of a heated argument up to May 1 and probably several weeks thereafter. The baseball schedule calls for the first home game on Many 1. In view of this the turf should be lifted and the diamond laid out at least two weeks before the opening date to get the grounds into condition and allowing sufficient time for the players to get in a couple licks of good practice. Fortunately there is another diamond that might be available in case the soccer activities are continued into the baseball season and it would be no surprise if the opening Steel League games were played in Taylor Stadium.


1919-1920
Bethlehem Steel Soccer Club