FOOTBALL AS A PROFESSION.

Otago Witness, Issue 1891, 17 February 1888, Page 26

FOOTBALL AS A PROFESSION.

Whilst it may seem strange to some people to find the noble game of cricket a means of obtaining a livelihood, it will be more incomprehensible still to discover that what may be called our winter national game— football, is turned into a profession. But so it is, and a most lucrative one, too. . . In comparison with crickot, football wotw ot eecenfc popularity, and two codes of rules are observed in which there is very little similarity. These are called Association and Rugby, and it is amongst the adherents of the former that professionalism exists, or, perhaps, it would be more correct to 6ay that it is only recognised in the .Association game, though a great many people have strong reasons for supposing that the Rugby game is played for something el6d besides pure love by a large section of its fol- ' lowers. .... » It is not more than 10 years since the Associa- ! tion game became popular in England, but in j Scotland it has put all other games in the shade j for at least 15 years. Lancashire was tho first county to put the game before the masses, and j in its endeavours to do so initiated the professional movement. At first the system was known as importation, and meant bringing Scotchmen of great repute to assist Lancashire clubs. This was done by holding out the inducement of a situation, and jt is not too much to say that tho finest teams in Lancashire were made through the introduction of these Scotchmen. The system grew most alarmingly, and our friends from o'er the border complained bitterly about being robbed of their .best men. 'Though these players ostensibly came to follow some lucrative employment, it is an open aecrefc that they were brought down to play tfoofcb&U, and received wages for doing bo. In; tfact the writer has known instances of clever players getting as much as £4 a week. For what ? Why, playing au hour and a-half per week at their favourite game. Unlike cricket, the football professional has no coaching to do, no bowling practice to attend, but simply has to keep himself in trim for one, or sometimes two .football matches each week. About a couple of years ago it was f ouud that professionalism had spiead all through the Midlands", in addition to Lancashire, and after a dfeal of opposition, the Football Association was induced to legalise it, and now we have at least three-fourths of its clubs with professionals iin their ranjts. % In the big organisations there are only to be t'ouud one or two amateurs, the others being maid for their services, and the average wage a tiiau can earn is 30s per week. In addition to this they are paid a small fee through the summer months for the purpose of being retained for the ensuing season, but during the last two or three years most professional organisations have commenced in the middle of August and run to the end of May. The reason for this is obvious. When there are, say, nine men m a team getting 30a per week each, it follows that the club must have a corresponding income, and the only means of getting this is to play matches and obtain gate money. Besides their wages, the professionals haye all their clothing found, doctors' bills, and railway and hotel expeases paid, and, in brief, have their wages clear. The leading clubs pay over £600 a year for wages alone, and have to be managed in the most business-like manner to make both ends meet. This is very seldom done, jvnd a lob of noted football clubs are on fche verge jof bankruptcy. To play in a county match is not tnougnt rtis'ittuch of as in the case of cricket, but the iheigWv of a footballer's ambition is to be selected •in mtopatioual matches, especially England v. .Scotland. The footoall professional cannot last many -years, as.it .requires both strength and agility to be worthy of a good salary, and five years is gather more thpi .the average life of a first-claes man. To a large .extent the Association game is patronised by the wording classes, who cannot afford to throw away both time and money by taking part in their favourite pastime ; and the 'football professional is by no means the low-life .person some people are apt to think. Of course there are a few black sheep in the -flock, but, as a whole, they are very intelligent -and respeotable, and a clever player ft as popular in certain districts as the most; noted •olitioian, .*,,«. The grafttes*; professional organisation in the country to undoubtedly at Preston, and. tore a

gentleman has spent several years in getting men, each of fine physique, and equally skilful. Birmingham also possesses good professional clubs, and one of them has a system of payment which might with advantage be emulated by others. It pays the men 10s each per match, and at the end of the year they divide the surplus. The players have thus an inceative to play well, for in football, as in anything else, " nothing succeeds like success."