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History of Canadian Soccer
by Colin Jose
BRITISH COLUMBIA |
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Canada
Provinces |
Westminster Royals, 1928–29 Player Biographies Dan Kulai – Inside Forward Born: Yugoslavia, November 10, 1907. Died: Vancouver, B.C., August 22, 1980. Dan was brought to Canada by his parents when he was very young and grew up in the mining town of Ladysmith on Vancouver Island. His soccer career began in Ladysmith, and he played for the local team, which was a power in B.C. soccer in the early 1920s. In May of 1928, playing at inside left, he was a member of the Ladysmith team that won the Province Cup, the championship of British Columbia. Later that same year, he crossed the Georgia Strait and joined Westminster Royals, who had won the national championship the previous season. He made his debut for the Royals on December 8, 1928, and during the spring of 1929, he was a member of the team that won the Province, Mainland and O.B. Allan (Injured Players) Cups. However, in July of that year, the Royals were upset in the B.C. semi-final for the national championship when surprisingly defeated by Vancouver St. Saviours. Kulai’s time with the Royals was short-lived, and by the time the 1929–30 season started, he was playing for Vancouver St. Andrews, and in the spring of 1930, he was a member of the team that won the Mainland Cup but lost in the final of the Province Cup. By 1935, he was back on Vancouver Island playing for Nanaimo, but returned to the lower mainland of B.C. one year later to help Vancouver North Shore win the Mainland Cup. However, around that time an injury forced him to stop playing in the forward line and turned him into a fine goalkeeper. He joined the Vancouver St. Saviours team and played in two more Province Cup finals, 1938 and 1939 and in three more Mainland Cup finals, 1938, 1939 and 1941. In 1939, he was also a member of the B.C. All-Star team that competed in the soccer competition at the San Francisco World’s Fair, and later that same year represented B.C. against the touring Scottish F.A. team. When his playing career was over, he turned to refereeing and was one of the leading officials in B.C. soccer for 25 years. Dan was named to the prestigious FIFA list in 1956 and in 1960 refereed the World Cup game between the United States and Mexico. In 1967, he was one of a panel of officials who handled games in the Pan American Games competition in Winnipeg. While working for the Vancouver Fire Department, he also refereed at least 27 games between B.C. All-Star teams and touring teams. He later became a referee instructor and was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 1970.
The Royals quickly recovered from their early elimination from the 1929 National Championship and became national champions for the second time in 1930. In 1930, they defeated Montreal in the final for the second time, winning the first game 1–0 on Jack Coulter’s penalty kick, losing the second game, as they did in 1928, only this time by 5–0, and capturing the trophy by winning the third game 1–0, once again on a Coulter penalty kick. The team in the final included Aubrey Sanford, George Anderson, Jack Wood, Les Rimmer, Harold Stoddart, Austin Delany, Robert McDougall, James Waugh, Jack Coulter, Dave Turner, Jack d’Easum, Tom Taylor and Bob Peroni. In 1931, the Royals were back in the win column for the third time, but this time with a strange twist. Entering the national championship playoff final rounds in British Columbia, they found themselves with five of their top players under suspension. George Anderson, Les Rimmer, Austin Delany, Dan Kulai and Jack Coulter were all suspended by the British Columbia Football Association for refusing to play for the British Columbia All-Stars against the touring English F.A. team. As a result, it was a team that became known as the “Royal Remnants” that took the field and made its way to the final in Winnipeg. For a while, Bill Findler was also under suspension. This time, the opposition was Toronto Scottish who were soundly beaten 2–0 and 3–0. The team in the finals included Aubrey Sanford, Ralph Makepeace, Bill Hogg, Tommy Trotter, Harold Stoddart, Dickie Stobbart, Adam Kerr, Bill Findler, Ernie Hammond, Dave Turner and Jack d’Easum. Joining the “Remnants” in the run up to the finals, and playing a major role in the western semi-final and final were Babcock at inside right and Sneddon on the left wing. Makepeace at right back was known as “Cud” and had only one arm. The next Royals triumph on the national stage came in 1936 when they won the first game against United Weston from Winnipeg 6–1, and strange as it may seem, once more lost the second game 2–1, while just as in 1928 and 1930, the team won the third game comfortably 3–0. By now, the team had changed quite a bit. Stan Stronge was in goal, with George Anderson and Tommy McKibbin at full back. Dot McPherson, Trevor Harvey and Jimmy Gemmell formed the half back line, while the forwards were Bill Findler, Johnny McKay, Jack Coulter, Dave Turner and Ray Watchorn. On the substitutes’ bench were Walt Wheeler and Billy Gray. Following World War Two, the Royals won again in 1953, 1955, 1958 and 1960, and lost the 1959 final to Montreal Alouettes.
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