VALUE OF TRAINERS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 19, 22 July 1933, Page 20

VALUE OF TRAINERS

"Ekael" writes in connection with the training of teams and the quality of football as played by local teams. "Wo often hear that the standard of Soccer football has been lowered the last few seasons," he says, "and in many cases the lack of a proper coach or tutor is the reason; ...

"Clubs overlook the important factor that a trainer and a coach are two separate jobs. The one develops physical fitness and the other tutors the player into the fine art and science' of the game. . . . The reason for our poor football is poor tutors. It is all very well for a trainer to presume that he takes upon himself the dual work, and to tell the team to play the long passing game or the short passing game, to do this, or to do that; but does he give the reason and show how it is to be done, and why? I doubt it. A good coach is the basis for good football, and there lies the troublo with our standard of Soccer."

"Ekael" criticises the suggestion that smaller grounds should be adopted, together with the short-passing game. "We tried small grounds and what happened1?" he asks. "When the short passing game was indulged in the players tended to crowd each other, and the same thing has also happened on the standard ground. . . .

"I am sure that, we have enthusiasts with the theoretical and practical knowledge, if the teams requiring same will look around."

"Ekael" recalls the form produced by the Marist senior team last year. "They did not require packing in the field like sardines and yet they gave us

short passing of an excellent standard," he sa >'X- "Again, team work embodies not only short passing but lone passing back )nvai . d j>J_ j tlili-ilc the standard of football is raised when the team perfects the various types of games according to the oppositio"> field> and. ivejither conditions."