He Left Rugby Union And The Wool Business

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31440, 5 August 1967, Page 13

He Left Rugby Union And The Wool Business

with its dark satanic mills, is not everyone’s choice as a place

to work and Its attraction for New Zealanders is very limited.

This makes Mr J. Phillips a remarkable man indeed for he is not only a New Zealander who works there, but in a sense he is “Mr Bradford.” He is chairman of the Bradford Northern Rugby League Club (1964) Limited, captain of a Bradford League cricket club, and a sales director of one of the city’s largest synthetic fibre firms.

“I suppose I am a bit of a traitor to New Zealand," he said. “I not only left Rugby Union but the wool business as well.”

Phillips, Wellington fullback for six seasons after the war, came to Britain as a Rugby League professional with Bradford Northern in 1950. He also made a study of the woollen industry in the most famous woollen city in the world and became, as he says, “something of a Wool Baron.”

But, of course, it is as a Rugby League official that he has become best known —better known in fact than

when he was a player. His founding of the Bradford Club (1964) Limited is one of success stories of the sport

Four years ago the club went out of existence. The giant Odsai Stadium, which can accommodate upwards of 100,000 spectators, was a white elephant Attendances were as low as 300.

Then Phillips stepped in to form a new company. In three years Bradford Northern improved its League position from seventeenth to seventh to fifth. Attendances rose to an average of 10,000. Phillips estimates that he has spent nearly £BO,OOO on new players. The latest recruit is T. Price, the Wales and British Lions full-back. Among his other signings are three members of last year's Great Britain touring league team in Australia and New Zealand—B. Jones, K. Roberts and J. Rigglesworth. Understandably, Northern’s scouting system is extensive. “We have resident

scouts in Wales end I have contacts' to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa," said Phillips. He is not to favour of the ban that prevents New Zealand players signing on professional terms for English clubs. “Why should a player be stopped from cashing in on his natural talents?” he said. “There must be lots of New Zealanders who would love to come to England to play, earn a reasonable wage and experience living to another country.” But Phillips prefers to find his players locally. “For one thing they are less expensive,” he said. “This year we will be running two junior teams—under 17 and under 19—for the first time. “These teams, coupled with our coaching system, should provide us with a nursery of talent On Sundays we run coaching courses for schoolboys and we have had as many as 350 turn up. “Then there are the schools themselves. Four-

teen to Bradford are now playing Rugby League and among them we distribute 2000 free passes so they can watch our games.” Phillips, who is 43 and has only been back to New Zealand once in 17 years, is convinced that the “cloth cap and clogs” image of English Rugby League is changing. He is sure, that

in time, the game will extend beyond its present boundaries of Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cumberland.

“Statistics prove that the game has a tremendous television following in the south of England and with the improved rail and road facilities we even have people coming up from Wales, the Midlands and London to watch our games. “But don’t think I wish to see Rugby Union wiped out I am not that much of a traitor.”