FOOTBALL.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 414, 26 October 1889, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

Football hos by this timo fairly started in tho Old Country, and our last files aro full of the probabilities for the ensuing season. Professionalism seems likely to cause a lot of trouble in England and Scot* land, the latter country being quite too lax in the matter. A correspondent supplies me with the following from the Melbourne '' Sporting Wire " : — To show the advancement of the Kugby game of football in Melbourne, Mr R. Israel (late of Auckland. N.Z.), has sup-plied-us with the following: — "In the season of 1887, Rugby was an unknown game in Melbourne, and a few who understood the game used to assemble on a vacant piece of ground in Carlton for the purpose of introducing it. In 1888 a club was formed, named the M.R.F.C., in which a number of English and Mew Zealand players took part, the club by itself playing alphabeHcally every Saturday. Since the visit of the English team to yictoria, it has taken a better spirit, and this year a meeting of Rugby footballers was called at Israel';?, Longsdale street, about 150 being present. The meeting was adjourned till the following Tuesday, at the Palace Hotel, when a club was formed, called the Pakeha, composed mostly of Now Zealanders, and by that meeting another club was formed called the North Melbourne. Although Rugby is in its infancy in Melbourne, it has some good players, and the two matches they played here against the Maoris showed players equal with practice to their opponents. The Pakeha Club has been the most successful in club matches this season, and next season will see Rugby fairly established in Melbourne."