FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 75, 27 March 1912, Page 7

FOOTBALL.

The annual meeting of the "Ngaruawahia Football Club (Northern Union rules) will bo hold in the Waipi Hotel on Saturday evening next. The past year (tho first for the club under Northern Union rules) has been one of the most satisfactory in its history, and everything points to a good season for 1912.

Tho annual meeting of the Parnell District Football Club will bo hold in the training hall to-morrow (Thursday) evening, at 8 p.m. « ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL NOTES. Tho Ponsonby Association Football Club will hold their annual meeting in the Sporto Club on Erlday evening, March 21>th, at 8 p.m. The annual meeting of tho Auckland Footh-Il Association revealed at least the presence of a good deal of enthusiasm, which augurs well for the success of the game during the forthcoming season. A lively interest in the affairs of the governing body betokens a much raoro healthy state of affairs than unconcerned apathy. Criticism, so long as it Is sincere, is an excellent and stimulating tonic, and makes for progress.

In tho circumstances tho Management Committee of the A.F.A. can have tho satisfaction of knowing that they aro not working for a lot of wooden player.. That, all of them who stood for office were re-elected was a distinct oompliment. Tho friendly agitation about rules and representation and other matters of administration only goes to show that the players wish to lm closely in touch with tho government of their game. And thnt is a good and healthy sign.

If there was one thing that was made abundantly clear nt the annual mooting, it was that it is high time a set of practical rules was framed and distributed among all players and club supporters for close study. The ignorance on ordinary questions of procedure was woeful, and the tangle of misunderstanding about "the old rules," and the "proposed now rules," and tho "amendments which had already been adopted," was rather astonishing.

One delegate struck tho right idea when he asked apropos of something or other that doesn't matter now: "Are wf. not the association! Is not the association the whole of tho pluyorH taken together?" "No," said somebody, who contended that the association was the Management Committee. "Rut," persisted tho questioner, "are not tho clubs affiliated to tho association T" "Certainly they are," came tho admission. "Then they are part of the association," he contended. And still the answer came, "N», they are not."

All this shows a back-to-front notion of the whole business, and it is perhaps worth while to try to .Uraighten things out. The ordinary fellow is inclined to begin at the wrong end. In the beginning there is the player. If you don't have any play<?r you don't have* anything at all. Because one man can't play a game by himself you havo a team, or a dutiful of players sufficient to forro several teams. Rocause one club can't play a matoh by Itsslf you have two or more clubs. And it is chiefly because a series of matches in arranged that n management committee independent of competitors is sot up. At the same time the mangemont committoo has to arrange for tho government of the game so as to bring the best out of it. And tho management committee is only put in office by the players to manage the gam* fot the players. Among amateurs the whole of the players arr the football association—and the management committee is Its reprosentr.tive government