TRAINING SHEDS, ETC.
FOR FOOTBALLERS AND OTHERS,
(To the Editor.)
Sir, —During the past two years many progressive schemes have been taken up and successfully carried out. in other parts of the province for the improvement of all athletic sports, notably so at Stratford and New- Plymouth. Hawera is *in need of very much help at the present time, and with the object of trying to improve the conditions, particularly for footballers, the following scheme is suggested. It is most important that proper training sheds, gymnasiums, and dressing sheds with baths should be attached to our sports grounds. What is required is a training shed and gymnasium from 80 to 100 feet long by 45 feet wide, with tan floor, together with dressing rooms and, tepid and cold : shower baths attached. This may seem a large order, but it is very essential that something-of the kind be provided, as the present arrangement of taking teams to hotels is most inconvenient, and a method that is strongly objected to by the. colleges. The iflace for the erection of such a building is, perhaps, a little difficult to arrange, as Hjiwera has no freehold other than the Park, and this does not provide the accommodation required. A. temporary arrangement is existing with the A. and P. Society for the use of tlieir grounds for football. After viewing the sites, it is suggested that arrangements cbuld possibly be made with the Haw era Borough Council to allow a suitable building to be erected on the reserve close up to the boundary, so that access could then be obtained to the A. and P. Show Grounds while the present arrangement exists. It is felt that no scheme such as this can be successfully can-ied out without the cooperation of the public and their representatives, as it will be a distinct benefit to the public generally, and the town in particular.
The whole scheme, whatever decided upon, is all a matter of finance, and in the first instance I have offered to conduct- an "art union for the purpose; in fact, arrangements have already been made for £l5O worth of alluvial gold, and a Hawera gentleman has come forward with the necessary cash to pay for it, so that it can be gone on with at once. The amount that can be raised in this way is difficult to estimate, but with energy and enterprise it should be quite possible to get from £750 to £IOOO.
What the Council can do to assist is a matter for them to decide, but we feel we can ask and expect their cooperation for an object which is just as essential as the baths, etc. A great many additional points will have to be settled before the scheme can ultimately be completed, such as the matter of road access, caretaker and sleeping quarters, and a representative governing body for the management. A meeting of' the various sports representatives was held in the Winter Show office on Monday, September 1, at which Mr B. McCarthy was chairman, and the general scheme was approved. The following deputation was appointed to wait upon the Council at their meeting on Monday, September L 5, to place the proposition before them, Messrs Hooker, McCarthy, Gray and Goodwin. In the meantime, would councillors kindly give the scheme every consideration.—l am, etc., L. 0. HOOKER, Organiser,
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HAWST19240906.2.53
Bibliographic details
Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 6 September 1924, Page 6
Word Count
561TRAINING SHEDS, ETC. Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 6 September 1924, Page 6
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Hawera Star. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.