OTAGO FOOTBALLERS' ACCIDENT FUND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2661, 15 March 1905, Page 31

OTAGO FOOTBALLERS' ACCIDENT FUND.

The following is the annual report of the committee of the above fund : — The committee, in presenting the second annual report and balance sheet of the fund, feels gratified that in view of the poor support accorded it by the players it has been enabled to present a balance sheet showing no absolute loss on the season's insurance, although it regrets it cannot state thu fund is increased. Had it not been for the liberal support accorded the fund by the O.R.F.U. the committee would have had to report a very considerable loss indeed. The balance sheet shows receipts from insurance premiums to be £53 2s 6d, made up of 392 subscribers to class 1 and 55 subscribers to class 2. This you will readily admit is a very poor proportion of football players to msuie under the fund when it is pointed out that comprised in this total there are 120 subscribers to class 1 and 13 to class 2 from the country, 74 to class 1 and 19 to class 2 from the juniors, leaving only 198 class 1 and 23 class 2 subscribers from the senior clubs' players. When you consider the benefits the fund offers for such a small outlay the committee considers that every playing inernher of the city clubs should insure under ths fund. Should this desirable end be attained the fund would, the committee believes, become self-supporting, and with the amount received from the annual benefit match so generously given us by the O.R.F.U. the fund should be built up and the scope of its administration be evidenced so that any financial hardship from an accident on the football field should be a, thing unknown. We acknowledge that the duties of secretary to a football club are many, and consequently we think it is too much to ask a secretary to look up all players in his particular chib en insurance business ; but we would strongly recommend football clubs at their annual meetings to appoint one of the committee or members to act in the capacity o? insurance secretary, so that he cou'd srive undivided attention to this necessary object and get every playing member to insure under the fund. In the matter of benefits under the insurance fund we have riaid out during the year a total of £107 6s Bd, divided un as follows: — Senior clubs. £59 ss; junior, £25 Is Sd ; and country. £23. Here, again, the senior players received the advantage in proportion to the numbers insured. We would point out that there were numerous accident? during the nsst season that did not come under the fund, and your committee feels that this should not be the case whilst file fund ia in operation and the premium is so small. We feel =ure if the benefits of the insurance, fund are brought under the immediate notice, of each individual player at the begrinnina: of the incoming no playing; member will gr O on the fiVd without first insiirin<r. We trust that players and olub committees will render the incomins' committee of this fur>d pvery support during Ihe football season 1905-6.