Haden supports softball crusade

Press, 28 December 1988, Page 29

Haden supports softball crusade

PA Auckland A former All Black, Andy Haden, has advised his softball counterpart, Eddie Kohlhase, to continue his crusade for changes in the sport. Kohlhase ran into trouble after walking out on the Auckland team and for expressing his views on the game and its players and administrators in a Sunday newspaper. The former All Black, whose attempts to change rugby and the administration caused as much furore as Kohlhase’s efforts in softball, said Kohlhase should not give up. “I always tend to agree with the players,” Haden said. "They are the ones totally committed and who don’t want to destroy their sport. Not only do they not want to destroy their sport, they are the ones under the most pressure from the sport. “ — I’m certainly a sup-

porter of his intentions to better the sport on behalf of the players.”

Haden said Kohlhase’s requests, including fully paid travel and accommodation at the national provincials, are a sign of the times.

“I think it’s one of the growth stages of the game of softball,” he said. “They are being faced with the increased importance of the game and are gaining a more professional requirement.”

One of Kohlhase’s aims is to set up a players’ committee, but he has met with resistance from the New Zealand Softball Association.

But Haden, who also battled for a rugby players’ committee, said perseverance may pay off. "The New Zealand rugby union have finally taken the players' committee seriously in Wellington," he said. “It took three or four years of fighting to have that accepted.”