FOOTBALL!

Hokitika Guardian, 11 July 1925, Page 1

FOOTBALL!

a sex day spurt cextcrifs AGO. Football in its present highly organised form is a quite modern growth, l hough the origin of the game goes a long way hack. It differs so much in its new and old methods that one can hardly recognise the octopus of to-day as the offspring of the rollicking pastime of several centuries ago (says London " Tit-Hits.") The contrast between them is almost fanciful. Xo one, for instance, could really imagine the uproar there would lie now il any attempt was made to prohibit the playing of the game; yet most of the earliest allusions to loothall actually refer to the strenuous ellorts which the authorities made to put it down. The great argument against it. from the national point of view, was that it interfered with the practice of archery, JAMES VI. AXI) THE GAME. In 1191 .James IV, denounced both football and golf as " unprofitable spurts.” and yet ho doesn't appear to have practised what he preached, for among his own Treasurer's accounts I here occurs a payment ol money "to liny footballs lor the Line." Tames VI. hated the game even nmr. 1 than lie; did the Glen new ly-inl rodllee.l fashion of smoking tobacco. In one of his hooks he commends "such honest games ami pastimes as may further ability and maintain health. Hut from ill is count I debar all rough ami violent exercise, as the football, mooter Ini' laming Ilian making able ilie users llllTeol This rabid dislike, il may be noted, use, evideoGy not. shared by his mother, Mary Queen of .Scots, Tor she frequently watched the game. This partiality of hers dor manly sporis was, indeed, chafactelastic, and need hardly surprise us, for she had far more of a man’s spirit in her than had her somewhat namby-pamby son. In the actual playing of the game there were also wide differences, lielore the Reformation it was largely a Sunday sport, even the clergy joining in, il we are to believe Sir David Lymlsay, who makes tile parson in one of his poems boast: I wot timer is not aim aiming you all Mail* feirlie can play at the football. It was always played on church holidays, and, indeed, the old custom still exists in some places on Shrove Tuesday, or " Easton's Eve." as il used to lie railed ill Scotland. lIAI’I’Y-GO-LICKY AFFAIR.

The game itself was a very happy-go-lucky alfair. minus rules, referees, goalposts to mention nets, and. indeed. with hardly anything about it. that would lie recognised on a modern football field. You could join in or leave off at your own sweet will, the sides being composed of all and sundry in the neighbourhood, and divided usually into two groups, depending upon the part of the town in which von dwelt.

Sometimes, as in the annual football maul: at Krone, the married men tackled tile bachelors, and their disregard of rules is evident from the fact that their boisterous play gave rise to tho old saying. " A\ fair at the ha' o’ Scone."

Nor is the feminine invasion ol sport altogether a new thing, for in times now long past the married fishorwmnoii at Fixhorrow in the l.othinus played the .spinsters of that fishing village, and, what is more, tradition says that the former always heat the latter at football.

None of the attempts made hv the old Scots Parliament to prohibit football ever had the slightest effect, and when archery became no longer a necessary means of warfare this old excuse for interfering with the game passed away.