NOTES BY FORWARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 1866, 26 August 1887, Page 26

NOTES BY FORWARD.

TChe doings of the Otago representatives during the next week or two will be watched with considerable interest here. The Northern teams have proved themselves much stronger than was generally supposed, and if our men' are to uphold the honour of the province they will have to make a better show than they did against the Nelson team the other day. The Canterbury team have practically been beaten in the three matches they have played, and they "were supposed to be a pretty strong team. Both the Auckland and Hawke's Bay fifteens appear to be very strong, and there is no doubt that our men will have to play their hardest in order to score a win. So far the chances seem against them, but by the time they play Auckland they will, perhaps, be in better form than they were at Nelson. Two things seem certain — the threehalf back plan won^t work, and wing forwards will have to be playad. '

A Wellington telegram states Allardyce was badly hurt at Napier, and bad to retire during* the second spell. He received a kick on the side of the knee and also hurt his thumb. He will not be able to play again for some time, the doctor having advised perfect rest for his leg." I clip the following from a Home paper for June;— The bidding for association football players (or next season has already commenced, and several changes are likely to take place. Bob Macbeth is now a boniface at Grimsby, and may be expected to instruct the fishermen in the art of passing. It is extremely probable another crack Accringfconian may be found in Lincolnshire next season. This is the worst phase in connection with football professionalism, tlubs *are .robbed of their best men by richer neighbours, Of course, if a man is a professional he has a perfect right to better himself and get the most he can for his services. Still, it is very hard on such men as Mr Hartley, of the Accrington Club, to lose good men he has qualified for the cup competitions. A Birmingham paper, commenting on 'the resolution submitted at the Aston Villa meeting about the proper confinement of the season between September 1 and April 30, says: — ** The game has ta^en too firm a hold upon the minds of the thousands in three or four parts of England to be easily.shaken from its position ; but perhaps the quickest way to undermine the popularity of football would be to play it in season and out of season until the public were thoroughly and irrecoverably sick of it. A few hundred fanatics may go to cheer a football match in June, but those who have the interest of the game at heart will stay away. The players themselves must suffer no small amount of deterioration by playing week after week through the relaxing temperature of the late spring and early summer months, as the Aston Villa did last year. We are aware that any personal caution preached is likely to be little heeded ; but from a pecuniary point of view players maj take it for granted that if they continue their unreasonable campaigns there are many hundreds of people with a reasonable and moderate amount of interest in the pastime who will give it up from pure surfeit." There is much particularity about the balance flkeet of the Warrington Football Club. The items are set forth with much detail. For instance : — Doctor's fees, medicine, embrocation, anklets, knee-capa, insur-

ance of stand, &c. ... ... £64 10 2 Wages for taking gate money, checking, fixing canvas, bellman, referees' fees, &c. ... £77 15 11§ Jerseys, caps, and bags ... £43 17 10

The Warrington Club are certainly not frightened at criticism from the frank and open way in which they set forth the various items. The gross receipts were £1140 16s l^d. The gate money from the first team was £83414s, l and " A " team and Second combined, £165 11s 2&d ; other ciubs taking as share £107 17s 3d. Warrington commenced che season with £65 15s 8d in hand, and, when the financial statement was drawn out, had a balance on the right side of £180 15s B|d. Nothing better shows the rapid growth of he Warrington Club than tho receipts for tho last five seasons, which are as follow :— Season. £ s. d. 1882-3 ... ... ... 34 3 10J 1883-4 ... ... ... • 4 2 1884-5 ... ... ... 10 7 1885-6 ... ... ... 659 6 7£ 1886-7 ... ... ... 1234 2 4 This last item includes £8 4s 5d from the club ball and £85 Is 9gd from sports. Another summary of cash account which has some to band is that of the Aston Villa Football Club. The gate money was £2487 9s lOd, less £780 7s 4d paid to other clubs. Subscriptions and donations reached £135 12s, and seasons and carriage tickets £116 ss. Altogether the items on this aide were £2070 3s 2d. Amongst the disbursements were: Players for services, £653 7s ; travelling, training, and hotel expenses, £4981350|d; police, £43 16s 2d; trainer's expenses, £48 4s 3|d ; manager's salary, £83 6s 8d ; general expenses (under which head comes rent, rates, ground improvements, stationery, telegrams), £245 13s Id ; publicity (printing and advertising), £139 7s. The balance carried forward was £135 8s 6d, or as nearly as possible £100 more than 12 months ago. The players' wages paid to the Aston Villa team amounted to £653. With the Blackburn Rovers it was £515.