Football: The Australian game
In all the sports played throughout the Commonwealth, there is nothing so distinctly Australian as Australian football. And there is no sport which has wider vogue. Football itself is one of the oldest games, and it is evident that in very early days it showed a tendency to take more than its proper place in the affairs of the nation, for in the reign if King Edward III, it was "put down by Royal edict as being antagonistic to the Royal amusement of archery." There are many who would welcome some such edict now, for the game has passed from being a game to a huge business, in which the players are professionals, and each club has a staff of servants from the medical officer down to the man who looks after the bootlaces, all of whom derive profit from the sport.
Football in Victoria was initiated in 1858, when Messrs H. C. A. Harrison, W. Hammersley, J. B. Thompson, and T.W. Wills formed the Melbourne club. Mr. Harrison is still alive, and his name is hailed as "the Father of Football" throughout Australia. T. W. Wills was an old Rugbeian, and the Victorian —or, as it afterwards became, the Australian — game was largely based on Rugby, but from the very beginning it differed from the code in many essentials. The outstanding difference was the absence of ‘off-side’. There was no limit to the dimensions of the ground or to the number of players, the side which fist scored two goals won the match, and from the earliest days bouncing the ball was necessary.
In The Argus of August 7, 1858, the following advertisement appears: —
"A grand football match will be played this day between the Scotch College and the Church of England Grammar School, near the M.C.C. ground. Luncheon at the pavilion. 40 aside. The game to commence at 12 o'clock."
With teams of 40 each side all ideas of positions were absent and the game was between rival packs. The goals were pitched far apart. One was at the Jolimont end of the Richmond paddock, opposite where Cliveden Mansions now stand: the other at Punt road, Richmond. In these circumstances goals were hard to get, but after three hours' play Scotch College scored a goal, and, darkness coming on, play was abandoned for the day.
On the following Saturday, when the game was to be resumed, the Grammar School team did not put in an appearance. The secretary, however, wrote a letter to The Argus, offering to play on August 21, and this was done; but the result was even more inconclusive, neither side secoring. The struggle was resumed on September 4, with a similar result, and the game was abandoned, and is thus down in the records as a draw. In a report of the game, it is said: —
The ball was frequently in the north-west corner of the park, and was at one time taken by a Grammar School player behind his own goal, and right round the other side of the cricket club fence. This seemed, however, carrying the thing too far, and on being appealed to, Mr. Thomas Wills, who acted as umpire, decided that the ball was out of bounds, and it was accordingly brought back."
From this it will be seen that the game in its infancy was very crude, but had distinctive features. Following the formation of the Melbourne club, South Yarra and Richmond were established. The rules were few and simple, and the game gradually evolved. T. W. Wills, who had been moved to Geelong, founded a club there in 1860. At the beginning of 1864 the Emerald Hill, Royal Park, and Carlton clubs were formed, and a little later Brunswick, Collingwood, and Williamstown came into being, followed by The Warehousemen and The University. Colours, which had been nondescript, became more regular. The guernseys were still of varied hue, but Melbourne wore blue caps, Carlton an orange cap and blue band, and Geelong wore red.
The fist published code of rules was adopted at a meeting of delegates from Melbourne, South Yarra, Carlton, and Royal Park, in May, 1866. The rules had provided that the ball should not be carried further than was necessary for a kick, unless it was "struck on the ground" every five or six yards. Owing to some ambiguity in the wording, the Rugby custom of tucking the ball under the arm and racing for goal with it had been adopted. The new code of rules made this point clearer. There was an important change in the rules in 1869, when the teams were limited to 20 aside and the system of scoring was altered so that a time limit was fixed, and the side scoring the most goals won. A historian of the day wrote: —
"The sport advanced more and more rapidly in importance and merit, though it was somewhat marred by a system of slinging, which had found its way into the play, instead of the more manly and straightforward shoulder to shoulder contest.
A notable feature in the play in 1871 was the prevalence of a great deal of toughness in the form of slinging, hacking, and other rowdy elements quite foreign to the game and these brought it into very unpleasant odour. Scribes began to write it down, stigmatizing it as brutal and unmanly, particularly condemning the common fashion of holding the ball, when collared, running with it — the great cause of scrimmages. These strictures were unjust, yet, singular to relate, they never affected the popularity of the game, and little was done to remedy the innovations until a period later on.”
It is extraordinary that nearly 60 years later "scribes" are still making the same complaints. Then, as now, the question of "hold the ball, hold the man" was being discussed and the attitude of those controlling the game was the same as it is now. They condemned the practice, but made no effort to remedy it.
There was a further revision of the rules in 1872. These improvements included changing ends at half time, "referring all disputes on the field to a central umpire". (previously the captains had decided all points), and that goals must be kicked, not "forced." In 1873 the wearing of recognized uniforms came in, and on May 12, 1874, the rules were further revised, and the game thus took definite shape. The distance between goalposts was then, as now, seven yards; but the behinds posts were 20 yards on either side of the goalposts, and the kick-off line was 20 yards out. In those days behinds did not count. After each goal the ball was kicked off from the centre, not bounced. The code drawn up included one clause which rends curiously now: -
"ln case of infringement of any of the above rules any player of the opposite side may claim that anyone of his party may have a free-kick."
From 1875 to 1887 the game proposed and grew in importance, as the play was transferred from open paddocks to enclosed grounds. The Melbourne club used to play just outside the cricket-ground, on a hard and gravelly surface, and the grandstand was so built that it could be reversed so as to face the cricket-ground in summer and the football field in winter. With the innovation of enclosed grounds the introduction of gate money brought with it many evils. Betting was rife, and in 1887 a scandal threatened to ruin the sport. Professionalism, veiled but actual, existed, and though payments were covered up in the club balance-sheets under such headings as ‘refreshments’, ‘uniforms and boots’, ‘travelling’, ‘lemons’, ‘oils and embrocations’, the clubs with the most money attracted the players.
In 1896 the game had sunk so low that several clubs seceded from the Victorian Football Association, and, forming the League, assumed control of the game in Victoria. The new body at once reduced the number of players to 18, and brought in the system of scoring by points — a goal six points, a behinds one. "Pushing behind" and "the little mark," had been abolished, had robbed the game of some of its salient points; but the endeavour of the League was to make the game faster and more spectacular and in this success attended its efforts.
The establishment of the League involved the retirement of Mr. T. S. Marshall, who had been secretary of the Association almost since its inception. If Mr. Harrison was known as the "father of the game" Mr. Marshall might well be called its guardian, for he had managed its affairs with great skill and tact. A stern opponent of professionalism, he was known throughout Victoria as the leading man in the control of the game, and his retirement was much regretted.
There were eight clubs in the League when it was established, but Richmond and the University came in latter, until the students, unable to compete as amateurs with teams which were undoubtedly professional, retired. The veiled professionalism which had been carried on became less and less veiled, and eventually open professionalism was recognized officially, and practically every man playing in the League today is paid for his services. In most of the clubs there is a flat rate of so much for a match, with a division of profits among the players at the end of the season. Last year the three leading association teams were admitted to the League, which now consists of 12 clubs.
Today there are tremendous attendances, and each the six League games attract more than 100,000 spectators, and produce about £2,500 in gate money; while a semi-final or final match attracts 60,000 onlookers. The game has become faster than ever, and, if not more vigorous than it used to be, is certainly more subtle. As each rule has been amended, the ingenuity of players has found a means of overcoming the law, and the good players realizes that his skill meets its own rewards in the "attention" shown to him by opponents. Hardly a week goes by without one or more players being disqualified for unfair play.
The League is practically conducted by club secretaries, and the spirit of professionalism which permeates the sport prevents the initiation of reforms which would tend to make the game cleaner. Whatever its faults may be, however, there is no doubt about its popularity. Attendances and gate receipts are ever on the increase, and with public patronage so liberally bestowed, the directors of the game hesitate before taking any steps to eradicate the evils.
The question as to who is the best player who ever graced the Australian game has always provided much arguments. While hundreds of players have at one time or another been hailed as ‘champions’, it is generally conceded that the honour of the best Australian rules players should be awarded to George Coulthard (Carlton), Albert Thurgood (Essendon), or Fred McGinis (Melbourne), and if a vote were taken the name of A. J. Thurgood would be accorded the title of ‘champion of champions’.
The Football League, with its 12 clubs occupying the central grounds, the Association, with 10 clubs, representing the outer suburbs, and central grounds, the Associations regulating the sport, are all under the control of the Australasian Football Council, in which is vested power to make and revise the laws of the game. This body is, of course, what the components make it; but there is no doubt that its establishment has been of signal benefit to the game, which, growing each year in popularity, is now the greatest of Australian sports.
Footnotes
Title: Football: The Australian game. Author: R.W.E. Wilmott (‘Old Boy’) Publisher: The Argus (Melbourne, Victoria, 1848-1956) Date: Thursday, 9 September 1926, Supplement, p.24 Web: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/3807742
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