Football Management

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 163, 28 July 1937, Page 3

Football Management

■JAMES.

HEFFERNAN. '

Sir, — I noticed in your iss'uo ,-of the 22nd instant a report of the- Hawkes Bay Rugby Union re the playing of matches which ;were postp.oned on the previous^Saturday owing to the weather. A member.of that august body is credited with making . the followingutterance: "It loolcs as if - the tail .is wagging .the (dog.' *■ This was said in reference. to th|: assumption that the Hastings Rugby Sub-Union was dictat-. ing to , that august body which holds sway in the marino town,* when ■ the former tried to reason with the H.B.R.U. about the stupidity of playing matches on such a" day. Mr. Mosely did not say which body owned the dog . with .the. tail , that wagged. " It appears to me that the mother union Wishes the Hastings Sub-Union to accept the inferiority complox, although- the Hastings Sub-iUnioh fieldS five senior teams while Napier has only four.. I do not think the. H.B:R.U.. has the interests .of club football at heart, jiidging by the. way the clubs .aretreated.. Why, this-smug coterie expected -a team to go' to Napier: from Hastings to- play. on" tho day'- in ; qu.estion when the local subrunion thought if advisable. to .postpohe all matches .here is ; beyond my understanding."Another aspect of the parfent -'body's administration • is" the parsimonious, cheeseparing, skinflint/niggardly policy ad'opted ' ih respect to doctors' • expenses by players. who.are injured' while playing. It. absolutely refuges to pay the expenses of senior' players, an'd it" is ifke extracting its eye-teeth to get it to'pay doctors'" expenses for 'injured junior players. .A case in poiht happened last season when a schoolboy playing for Hastings" High School bad asu-arm broken.in a game. Doctors ' . and . ho.spital expenses came to £5 5/-. The school authprities paid £2.2/- and the H.B.R.U., after soiho months ' hag'glirig, decided to pay £2 2/-, leaviug tho f ather of the :boy. to pay the balance; £1 1/-. The' union considered the boy's f ather was lucky in not having to pay the £3 3/-.-If Rugby football is to be encouraged a more humane and liberai policy will have to be adopted — and why not, seeing that club football is the mieans of getting rovonuo ' for the union! 1 think the timo has 'come — indeed, it is overdue — for an overhaul in- ' tho management of Rugby football from the New Zettland uuion - dowii. - This. autocratic, money-making • concern is» reputed to be worth ■ £40,000/ and it is as hurigry and greedy as ever. It-still-has its maw open asking for more.- - Fancy charging school -children - foradmission to see the Springboks -play at Napier. It -is up -to the playersthemselves to take the -initiative - and; see to it that men who are selected to r eprescnt -them oi the 'uni 011 s- do as they are told^to -do and are liot allowed to do as they like. — Yaurs, etc.,

Hastings, . July 2, -1937.