AMATEURS AND PROS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 February 1923, Page 3

AMATEURS AND PROS.

PLEA FOR CO-OPERATION. (Special to the “Star”). CHRISTCHURCH, January 31. “There are no real professipnals in New Zealand,” said Mr B. McKenna at the meeting of the general committee of the St. Patrick’s Sports Association. The remark was made in the course of discussion on a letter received from the Waihora Football Club, which asked permission to enter a team for the Football Clubs' Relay Race.

“The position of our club,” the Secretary wrote, ‘,‘is that the four competitors arc termed professionals so far as running is concerned, yet on the other hand they play amateur football, and as the race in question is rqally a football chibs’ race (the team running entirely for the honour of the club), I think in the circumstances you might be able to give some ruling suitable to all clubs.’ ’

Mr McKenna stated that the St. Patrick's Association endeavoured to eater for both amateur and professional sport. Athletics in New Zealand would have been in poor condition if it had not been for the efforts of the so-called professional bodies like the old Caledonian Societies. There would have been no sports in Timaru or Oamaru or Dunedin if the initiative had been left to the amateur bodies. Even in Christchurch the amateur body was not operating to any great extent. one of the finest athletes who had ever visited New Zealand, has to go away without Christchurch people having the chance of seeing him in action. The St. Patrick's Association was not out for gain; it would not have worried if it had lost £lOO in bringing the Americans to Christchurch. There was too much quibbling , about amateurism. If the people of Christchurch were to back up amateur athletics as earnestly as they talked about it, the sport would advance by leaps and bounds, lusted, enormous crowds went to see professional sport at racecourses and trotting grounds, while the attendance at amateur

athletics in Lancaster Park was miserable, yet people talked vigorously of what amateur sport had done lor the nation. It certainly had done a great deal, but it would do much more if the people who talked so much about amateur sport supported it a little better.

In the speaker’s opinion, the so-called professionals were just as clean as any amateurs. They were cash amateurs. It was impossible to draw a line between the amateur and the professional. Many tennis players played for something more than the game. One heard a good deal of amateur cricket, yet professionals and amateurs, though they might enter by different gates, played side by side in the field. Why should not professional and amateur runners run against each other.'' The real professional runner did not exist in New Zealand. Horseracing was a purelv professional sport. It bad been put on a good footing by gentlemen who had devoted their attention to keeping it clean. AH that was necessary in professional running was that it should also be •>i. clean. The question as to whether it was possible to invite an official of a professional body to an amateur meeting had been seriously discussed in Christ•rch. To his mind, this was an d ' (ration of the fact that the ;idvn--M,e- ' f

amateurism wore going beyond the bounds of reason.

It was decided to apply to the amateur body for the exemption of the Wailiora players from the rule. .