Financing in Football.

NZ Truth, Issue 147, 11 April 1908, Page 3

Financing in Football.

Some Revealing Sidelights.

Towards the close of the last football season, and, intermittently, since, some half-do. n newspaper correspondents m a timorous, halfhearted fashion made a sort of casual reference to the entrance of professionalism into the sport. These faint-hearted critics, none of whom went properly to work to bell the cat and expose the whole financial show m connection with Melbourne's leadinglieague football clubs, have been silenced by the assertive semiofficial trumpetings that "at tlie right time the club's balance-sheets will show that hot one player has received one penny, remuneration." Now, last season St. Kilda was the sensational feature of the season • its matches right from the jump were the attraction of the year,' and they . went through with a record of gate receipts that they had never experienced previously. The season's takings and receipts from various sources swelled the revenue to £1651 7s 10d. Ih the days when sport was sport and was played for the love of the thing, the distribution of this sixteen hundred odd pounds would have been quite an administrative task, and would have giiven an opportunity for the fostering of the game m countless directions. But, Lord bless your soul, the committee dispose of the whole bang lot, bar £20 10s lid, with almost a wave of the: wand. Sundry expenses, allowances, trips, material, and wages to coaches and trainers are provided for, and, lo ! the boodle is all melted, and the club starts this year de novo.' It may be truly said that the halance-shept does not show that any player "received one penny remuneration," but only a man with a "'-Gripe eye could be induced to believe that such (and ample) payments were not received m an indirect way. Only those who profess not to detect the elements of professionalism m the sport could swallow this astounding document. Take a few of the leading items of expenditure— Cost of holding the annual meeting, £54 12s 6d ; stationery, postage, etc., £56 is 3d •:: trainers' and coaches' wages, £151 5s ; medicines, bandages, etc., £64 8s ; material, £59 14s ;; laundry, boots, studs, and attendance, £29 ss' pla yers' travelling and training expenses, £380 ; 'refreshments and teas, £49 10s ; uniforms and boots, £91 15s 6d ; holiday trip through Tasmania, £375. Then there were sundry exnenses, bringing the total up to within £20 10s of the whole season's enormous takings. If anyone, as we have said, attempted to ram a statement like this down the throats of a body of business men, he would not be listened to , ,yet the public unanimously adopt such a travesty on financial elucidation and proceed to laud the glorious spirit of amateurism that prevails. Only a week or two ago at a meeting of the club, the hat was passed round, and the humiliating spectacle was presented of the president, after the manner of a cadging Salvanriv captain, yelling, "We have 35 guineas subscribed ; five more to make it forty." And this after tho airy disposal of £380 on a holiday trip to Tasmania J If the mercenary spirit indicated therein is the governing motive m presenting sport, the old style of vimful contests on vacant allotments is infinitely preferable. In any case, to argue that the whole of £1600 is necessary to maintain an amateur team for four months (there being no deduction from that amount for rents of playing grounds, etc.) is to. try to demonstrate a patent absurdity. It probably doesn't matter a tinker's benediction whether a football is booted m a spirit of amateurism or professionalism from the spectacular standpoint : hut if members of a club value their status as practically shareholders m a concern, it is ab out > time. -they woke up aad took some live interest m how the money received is actually expended.