PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 30, 30 October 1907, Page 4

PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL.

ADVERSE CRITICISM. EXAMINED AND DISSECTED.

(By GORDON RUSSELL.)

"Butting crept into the ranks of the professional players, many of whom would then 'sell' their sides for the. sake of a few shillings. Rough and undorhand play became far more the rulo than the exception. Again, the support of the bet tor public was lost, and instead of having hundreds of younger players they would have thousands'of 'hoodlums' sitting on the bank at those matches, cheering men to whom tho word 'sport' was but' a by-word and a mockery."—Mr.- G. Campbell at St. James's Football Club smoke concert. ■ -

The above remarks are reported to have recently been made • by Mr. Campbell, and, as they were circulated broadcast through the Dominion, a little examination into tho wholesale: condemnation of professional football will not bo out of place, and as a preliminary, the* following extract 'should prove interesting reading ,to Mr. Campbell and other critics who have so severely condemned Mr. Baskorville's contingent:—

"The following permanent suspensions have been made:—Aberdare committee and secretary .to''April-2D, 1905, for paying money to Treorky Club to sell the match; Tn>orkj>. committee and secretary of the same date for- receiving money from Aberdaro to buy, the match; Aberdare and Treorky committee of 1905-6 for not disclosing the fact that Aberdare Club had paid and Treork Club accepted, a sum of money , Aberdare committee and secretary for 1906-7 for., paying.-players-for-playing and for paying, players' hotel or travelling exponses in excess of the sum disbursed. , -'The following players are also, permanently suspended ' for various ogonces against amateur laws:—Ted Jones (captain of Treorky), Dai Thomas (captain of Abefdarc),' Eynon (Aberdare), Beavan Glyn (Neath), 'Wrentinore (Aberdare), Griff, John and Protherod. (Aberdare), Rees-Rees (Swan"sea), David Jones (Aberdare), Charles Leinard (Mertliyr), Arnold (Swansea, arid Ehbw Vale). Players:'who have .'recently joined the Northern Union ' were also suspended. For ■ receiving expenses inj excess-of the amount "actually disbursed on'account-of reasonable hotel or travelling oxpenses,' George Scrime (Swansea) and Thomas (Usk) arc suspended till December 31 this year, Police-constable Arch (Penarth) for'the "whole season, George Taylor and Thomas Taylor (Morristown) for a month, "Whittle (Hirwain) and Pickering (Aberdaro' till December.

''All the officials'of the Mcrihyr Club who have, recently joined the Union are also suspended permanently, and .steps have been taken'in addition to make, it impossible in future for any club to overrule the laws. Closer vigilance will, be kept over the .transfer q'f ; and property authorised representatives will take charge of the gates. . , To. the "All Blacks" who toured Wales the. above should prove especially entertaining, as they, will recognise several of the playors nanio'dj but it will, como as a shock' to the, "purists", to learn that the officials of two amateur .(?) clubs have been found guilty-of buying .and selling a match, and perhaps-Mr.- Campbell will recognise that- his gratuitous-,, inference that professional players-"would 'sell' 1 their sides for tho snko of a few sh.l.'iugs" was altogether uncalled for/ The concluding, sentence of above extract, /'properly authorised representatives will tako charge of the gates," will lead the public,, to draw a .startling inference therefrom, whilst the following quotation shows what treatment' is meted out by the'amateur .body to a (xentleman who had the courage of/his.ronvietionsiT—' ■ ' ; , ' , ' * ; ".The Welsh Rugby Union last -night (August 23) .declared Mr. C. , Leonard, a member of the Merthyr Club Committee, to be''a professional. He had .moved, a resolu-tion-at a. recent meeting, of his /club: that open professionalism was .preferable to sham amateurism. Payments to players were ad■jnitted 'at tho-meeting, .but the resolution /was lost, although, Mr. Leonard was elected on the committee of the club which romains iaffiliated to the Welsh Rugby Union. •. Mr Leonard's case came.up on,appeal, hoibeing under suspension sinco the last meeting under suspicion of -favouring the Not thorn .Union." .-'' ' ' ;

'/Since the foregoing was issued the Merithyr Club has joined tho Northern .Union, ivhich also includes tho Gloucester .Club under its'- 1 banner';-. .'

Z 1 Recently a 1 local football writer and authority referred to the' ,Northern Union, as declining in popularity, artd cited the instance of the Broa'dfiekl Club, which he asserted h'ad become an amateur organisation under the English Rugby Union. This assertion was unfounded, as tho Bradford Club still remains a- member of the Northern Union, in a minor division, and has nmoved 'to anotbor playing ground, tho old ground having been taken over by tho Bradford Association Club '

Turning back te Mr. Campbell's attack en professional football players, and their supporters, whom lie terms "hoodlums," it will be-interesting to look at the history of professional football under the dribbling code since professionalism was legalised about the year 188 G. At that time there, wore scarcely 1 any recognised competitions ii Eniland.'-with the exception of tho "Association Csp," which was instituted in 1871; but the famous Preston. North- End team, by the excellence of its play, had succeeded in rousing; interest in the'game, and the initiation of the 'League,- of which Mr. •M'Gregor, of Birmingham, was the author, ■ immediately developed enthusiasm for the game in: a most marvellous manner. Tho Leaguo as originally constituted consisted of the 'following twelve clubs:—Accrington, Aston Villa,"-Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wan'dcrors, Burnley, Derby County, Evertoii,' Notts County, Preston, North' End, Stoke, West Broinwich, Albion"', and "Wolverhampton Wanderers. It will be seen that .six of the' twelve clubs were Lancashire combinations, and the ' remainder werb Midland Counties' clubs, Yorkshire and the Southern' .Counties- being entirely/ unrepresented'; ' in fact, at that time "Soccer" was but little played in'the South of England, and in Yorkshire was not played outside Sheffield.

The first League championship was won by the Preston North End team, which did not suffer a reverse in tho competition. Tha same season this combination won the "Association 'Cup" without having a point recorded against them throughout the competition, and this ' dual success has never been equalled. In 1892 tho Leaguo was extended, ancl' consisted of fourteen clubs, D.invor (Lancashire) and Stoke (Staffordshire) being tho now "entrants, and the. following: year Newton Heath (Lancasliiro)V Sheffield Wednesday (Yorkshire), and Notts Forest were 'included in the competition. Interest in tho game ' increased in a marvellous manner, and in 1897 at a match between Evcrton' and Wolverhampton Wanderers tho'gate realised £2552; yet, notwithstanding tho success of the game, soveral of the. newspaper critics and Whitaker's Almanac predicted a crash and speedy end of the professional system. At this time the only professional teams in the South of England wore the Woolwich Arsenal. and Millwall Clubs. At the present time, there are many professional clubs in the South, and tho present constitution of tho League will show.how the gamo has progressed in all parts of England, and in '.many districts where the Rugby code previously hold the monopoly, the handbag game is played no more. Following is tho constitution of tho "First League", at the present time: —Liverpool, Preston North End, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United,, Manchester Citv, Bolton Wandqrors, Birmingham, Aston Villa (Birmingham). Blackburn" Rovers, Stoke, Evcrton, Woolwich Arsenal, Sheffield United, 'Sunderland, Derby County, Notts County, Bury, Middlosborough, Notts Forest, Wolverhampton Wanderers; whilst in the second division.a number of Southern, Western and Yorkshire clubs are included. In addition, there is the Second League, through whcih teams must pass 'before admittance to the first division is obtained, and the Southern League. All Hie clubs in these competitions may be regarded as first-class combinations, and in'addition there are thousands of junior

leagues in all parts of the country, so the statement- that professional football retards the younger element from playing; is entirely without foundation. Mr. Campbell's sweoping condemnation of professional football supporters as "hoodlums" casts a slur on a tremendous population, as the following figures, showing the attendance at Association matches, will show: — [ ' Averago % • P or League. Matches. Attendance, match. First ... 380 5,849,000 15,392 Second' ... 381 2,541,000 6,669 Southern ... 382 2,537,000 6,641

Totals ... 1143 10,927,000 9,559, That the public is as keen to watch the professionals as amateurs is clearly proved by tho foregoing figures, and an additional and convincing proof is forthcoming in the fact that on Monday, August '20, at a practice match between tho A and B teams of the Preston North End ■ team there were 12,000 spectators. It is true that in professional sport generally thero is a largo amount of shadv practice, with tho result that tho public" do not patronise these events,' but' the attendance at the football matches is overwhelming evidenco of the public's belief in the purity of the game as plavod bv tho professionals. ■■• Having seen the growth of the Soccer • gamo at Home, it is well to see how it has fared in tho Dominion, and to note whether it threatens tho handbag code. . Tho first attempt to start the Association Same in Wellington, so-far as can he ascertained, was in 18S9; but greator difficulty was met than was first anticipated, owing to the 1 game being unknown to the nativeborn, and the English and Scottish residents having given up the game. However, after a deal of trouble the Rovers ' Club was formed, and' during tho season were allowed tho Wellington College Ground, the first match played being between the English and Scottish* members of tho club on April 3, ISSf). The AA'andorcrs (Petone) formed later, and n match between the AVanderers and Rovers was played on June 8 on the, Wellington College Ground. lii 1890 tho Queen's Park Club was formed,, and the ,Wellington Football Association was brought into existence the same year. Tho first uiterprovincial match was played at Wellington in 1891 between Wellington and Canterbury, and after tho match', at a smoke concert at the Albert Hotel, Mr. Brown presented his trophy for competition. In July, 1891, Mr. Chas. Deker made a successful attempt to revive tho game''in Auckland; and a Wellington combination journeyed to Auckland, anil suffered defeat from the Northerners oiv October 10 by six goals to nil. ' . On July 6, 1891, it was resolved to take '.tops to "form tho 'Now Zealand' Association, and at the resulting meeting at which 'the Association camo into existence Mr. J. R. Gibbons (now chief reporter "Evening l.'osfc") represented Auckland, Mr. L. Tripp (Canterbury), Mr. A. Henderson (deceased) represented Wellington, and; Mr.. P, D. Leslie represented Otago. >The meeting . took place,on October 3at Wellington, and in tho who vear Wellington Rowing Club formed a football team. In 1892 thero were four Association clubs : in Wellington; the Rovers, Queen's Park, : Rowing .Club, and AVanderers. >

: Efforts were first mado to get the gamo into the schools in 1891, when Dr. Gillon presented a ball to the winners of school competitions, Mr. Gardner's school proving successful. In 1892 Dr. Gillon again presented a ball, and Mr. George Wright, . of Lambton Quay, presented two medals, one for the best back and the, other for the best forward from, tho winning school. In 1902 ■Mr. C. H. Iznrd, at a meeting of, tho Wellington Association .suggested that a determined effort be mado to get the schools to adopt the game, and a circular was issued to tho various schools. In 1894 the Shifts Club was formed, and in, 1895 tho Diamonds Glub changed from Rugby, to Association, and from that date tho game has increased in popularity. A new start was made in popularising "'the game in Otago in 1900, whon the schools took up the Association code. ,".'.•

1 Last season there wore in''Wellington six senior' teams, thirteen junior teams, four third; four fourth, and - eight " fifth class teams', and a schools''competition, in which ton teams took ; part: altogther there were over 1000 players interested in tho various competitions o"f last season.- Thero aro,also alubs at Dannovirko, Palmcrston North, Keilding, and Cheltenham. ■ ■■_."■ In Otago there were ten' clubs, with a total of 470 plavors, and' 28 school teams, with a total of 308 players. There arc-fivo clubs in Southland, two at Timaru, one at Ashburton, four at Christchurch, ' two at Hawora, one at Eltham, two at New Plymouth, ono at Nolson, and about a dozen at Auckland. - '■

From tlio foregoing it will bo noted that the "Association" game; has made rapid strides in Now Zealand, though whether wo shall have a repetition of what has taken placo in England time only will show; hut it certainly points to a desirability of the Now Zealand Union takjing steps to guard the interests of the Rugby game. It l was a subject for gratification to learn that-Mr.-'M'Konzio did not intend to sneer at tho Rugbv qualities of tho All Black professionals, but it is extremely difficult to construe any other meaning out of that gentleman's utterances in cacli of his articles, and it is certainly difficult to reconcile his assurance jthat. he would be pleased l to hear of their success with his other comments. 'It'is also puzzling to understand Mr. M'Kenzic's pessimisms in regard to the tour, but probably ho supplied the ; reason, and had himself in view when he penned the • following sentence:—"No man- who t-hinhs that he knows anything about the game and the- players can state-honestly that he thinks-that the'tour will'bo-a great success." ' ' ! '.' .