A DELICATE MATTER.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 166, 14 July 1921, Page 7

A DELICATE MATTER.

—# _ THE LADIES' LEAGUE CI/ÜB. DAXGERS OF THE GAME. AFFILIATION DEFERRED. After Riving very serious consideration to the question whether girls should] play League football, the Auckland] Rugby Football league last evening! decided to defer the application of the! Parnell Ladies' League Club for affiliation until a sub-committee had inter-1 viewed local doctors, and the League had I thus been put in possession of medical I ■advice upon the matter. ! The subject was opened by the application of the Parnell Ladies' Club for affiliation, and the chairman of the League. Mr. .lames Carlaw, said it had; apparently been taken for granted that Hie ladies would play a match on Satur-I day as a curtain-raiser to the men's: game. That was unfortunate, because j the true facts M the position were that, some officers of the League had attended | the meeting of lady enthusiasts in] Parnell. and had given information. But' they were not there in any official capacity, and the proposal to have a ladies' club, and to have the ladies play j a game, was now officially before the] League for the first time. .Mi. Carlaw! said when he had first heard tho proposal ha had thought the League would be doing wrong to encourage ladies' football, .hut then lie rememberer! that a ladies' -'soccer" team had been formed and was actually playing, and lie had therefore suspended judgment until he heard something more definite. The medical opinions published upon the subject had rather startled him. and lie felt that tin- league would Jie very foolish .indeed to encourage anything that wou'd prejudice the health or the future welfare of the girls. It would be a judgment upon the League if some lady were killed or seriously injured while playing. Both Mr. Stall-worthy and Sir. I. Culpan made it plain that they had attended the meeting in Parnell to give information to the ladies respecting the game. ; They had not gone there in any official j capacity whatever. The only advantage Mr. G. Hunt could see from lady teams playing the code was a temporary swelling in the gate receipts, but he was quite certain it would not be for the permanent benefit of the game. Football as played by men w.ts fnr'too strenuous a game for girls, and medical opinion was strongly against it on the grounds that it was prejudicial to both health and future welfare. Mr. E. Phelan said football was not the proper game for women, who were not built right for such a strenuous pastime. They might easily receive knocks and jars that would seriously affect their , future lives. The medical opinions had certainly influenced him, and besides, he I w-as surprised to hear many people who i took an interest in League express th§m- i | selves as being absolutely against girls! I playing the game here. i : After a little more discussion along' the same lines the chairman eaid it! would be a terrible judgment upon the' League if they granted the ladies' teams j permission to play, and then one of the girls was killed or seriously injured. The question of accepting the affiliation w-as then deferred to receive medical opinions.