FOOTBALL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 830, 23 April 1910, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

A meeting of football enthusiasts was held at Sanson on Thursday evening. Mr A. K. Drew presided, and there were about 25 present, including players from Rongotea, Sanson and the surrounding district. It was unanimously decided to form a club to be called the Manawatu District Football Club, and nominate both a senior and junior team in the competition controlled by the Foxton Sub-Union. Mr A. George was elected secretary, and Messrs Anderson and Martin were appointed to represent the club at the meeting of the sub-union to be held at Foxton on the 28th instant.

The election of officers was held over until a future meeting.

The decision of the newly-

formed Mauawatu District Club to enter both senior and junior teams in the competitions controlled by the Foxton Sub-Union, renders matters in connection with the enforcement of boundaries much easier so far as the local executive is concerned. The position in regard to the boundaries is as follows ; When the sub-union was first formed, Sanson nominated senior and juniour teams, and although no boundaries had been specially defined it was understood —at least by the local executive—that Sanson and Rongotea were in

the Foxton boundaries and would be forced to play at this end of

the district. There was no trouble about the matter until last season, when it was found that those players residing at Glen Oroua were playing for the Feilding Club. Three delegates were appointed by the Sub-Union to attend a meeting of the management committee of

the Manawatu Union and thrash the matter out, and after considerable trouble the parent union defined Foxtou’s boundaries, which were to come into operation this season. Notwithstanding this, the Manawatu Union, at its annual meeting this year, decided to allow Sandon and Rongotea to take part in their competitions this season if application were made by the clubs in question, and also to ask Albions (Foxton) to nominate a team. However, nominations for the Manawatu competitions closed on Tuesday last, and no nomina-

tions were received from these clubs. The Manawatu Union then appointed one of the members of their management committee to interview the members of the Rongotea and Sanson Clubs and urge them to enter teams. Mauawatu’s reason for attempting to crush the sub-union is not at all clear. One of the rules of the New Zealand Rugby Union is that affiliated unions should foster football in their district. How does the action of the Manawatu Union in this matter tally with that rule ? Instead of fostering the game, it looks very much as if they are trying to kill it —in this part of the district, at any rate. Both the Sanson and Rongotea Clubs have taken part in competitions controlled by the sub-union, and it reflects credit on the management of football locally when a team comprising players from both these clubs should unanimously decide to play under the Foxton subunion in preference to playing under Manawatu —especially after the latter has practically “crawled” to them in order to get their nominations. At the sub-union meeting, held at Rongotea on Tuesday, Messrs Robinson and Whibley were appointed to attend the meeting of the Manawatu Union’s Management Committee, to be held at Palmerston North on Monday evening, and protest against any player in the boundaries, as defined, playing for any club outside those boundaries, and failing a satisfactory reply, the parent body will be asked to forward an appeal from the sub-union to the New Zealand Rugby Union.

A match is being played on the racecourse this afternoon between Shannon and Albion seniors, and the Albion juniors left for Shannon where they will try conclusions with a team af juniors from the Shannon Club.