THE ENGLISH FOOTBALLERS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 201, 19 May 1908, Page 6

THE ENGLISH FOOTBALLERS

The hearty welcome givferi to the English ftiotbitilefs whb arrived .in 'this "City jreStdrdity will aft6fd gefififal satisfaction* No-# that th<j contest, between England ;arid . New Zealand on the playing-fields iii ofie' Sf 6thSi- of th£ twd cdtintriSs ha§ fflaintEtirie'tl its cdritihuity for four years, may look forward to the development bf Anglo-New Zealand football into a serious rival to Anglo : Aiistralian' cricket ifi thfi wdfld of .Sldderit sport.- In timd, jberhafis, •' fo'ottj&life'rs Will Be afciS to look tack upon ttio. tours df British or New Zealattd football trains with the reipfecF dud td inltitUtioni of tadifint aiicl vbfieriiljlij The 6f thb tiiairi now in oiir midst will do much to stimulate an already, great enthusiasm; for. the gamb/- lb may' not- Be out of place to take this opportunity of siiggdsting td the football - authorities, one or two f'ers td the game in this N country; In the rsfc. place; it is more than prdbable that unless some change is' made in the rules .which' ,w;'iirmake the play more open and interesting* ,thc professional [game may' -obtain a firm'footing. The advocates of a rigid maintenance 6f the existing riiles mlist remember that some of those rules are in . themselves radical; alteratiofis of tlie : 6lcl ftiles- of .Rugby fofitball ad it ilSed'to" bd pldyed, dhd thait the tfup c6iiserVative attitude ] Is that which insists oil rflaking fodtbail a mattef of'as few rUifcs d§ pdsSiblg, aiid iiot 6f 'many f.iilfes as' tidSliihie; As' in, thd gd,ml itself the wfty of .salvation iles .through siihfilicityj So in the government of the game fthat had td be guarded' against" 1s; ! oVergovernhlertt arid^ tfi6 Andlie predominance df fifiarlce in' the councils of. the gdvern-' ing bodies; -football is but ;a game, and it -'is only so' long as f it. is a game that it is ; Vdltiablo and/wdrfch pre-, serving. Simplification everywh'6fc— should M, tho -aim of the football ;!tuthdrities.: This... is , a.: digression:. frqm our text that may b0 The, visiting team comes to us—as every visiting team, seems-somehow to\ coffic—with the flame of fldt b6iii| tlldrdtighiy'l'ejfif esentatiffei : Piat: cxtjerieiice has taught, us riot tb' r . pay too' mucK. attention to such reports, and everybody will hope that the' visitors Will turn out td be the excellent teSani 2nd the good stlortsmtiti which 'M. expect them to be. They are aSsiifed of a cordial 'rp66^ti6n ; -. Wheife^e?-.•• 'they;. fifl'd. tjiehiSelves, and -we. have little doubt that tfiey will fifid their visit aflri the sjidrt good. . '' '