Thread: SHOULD ALL THE FOOTBALLERS BE ON 1/2 PAY?

Originally Posted by trout1105

I seriously doubt that these footy "Princesses: could handle doing a normal days work week in week out and still survive on a normal days wage

It's only those at NRL level that are on big money. Hundreds if not thousands of players just playing for the love of the game around the country at local clubs get very little if anything at all. To me they are the real heart and soul of the game. They play for their community, for their mates, most are just average players. Playing footy at your local club is a bit like being in the military, as in that you make mates for life. My Dad and I used to coach/ manage sides at our local club. the kids we coached/ managed , all those years ago, still come up and say g'day. We , [or me now, Dad's gone,] know their children, in some places football is the glue that holds the community together. These blokes are just ordinary people. Some rogues, some ratbags, but the majority good people. Yes, rugby league has been hijacked by vested interests, all out to make a quid. It's not a game for the masses any more, it's big business. And whenever big business gets involved, heart and soul goes out the window for the bottom line, the almighty dollar. Me, I'm happy to go down to the local club and watch the kids run around, I wouldn't be too upset if the NRL folded. As long as Fortitude Valleys came back in a local footy comp., like the old days. Don't worry about the multi million dollar stadiums, a patch of grass outside the can bar is good enough for me. A cold beer, meat pie, good mates, a game of footy , smell the liniment...…….How good is that! just as long as we beat the old enemy, Redcliffe.

Hi,
I have only watcher 1 game of football.
It was on the Port Arthur oval before it got touristified.
Port Arthur were playing Nubena, all very big farm boys.
When play got over to where we were sitting, the ground fair shook with the heavy foot falls and the air was full of the fumes of rum and linament.
Cheers

Originally Posted by austastar

When play got over to where we were sitting, the ground fair shook with the heavy foot falls and the air was full of the fumes of rum and linament.
Cheers

Kipling could not have written better!.

Originally Posted by bob10

It's only those at NRL level that are on big money. Hundreds if not thousands of players just playing for the love of the game around the country at local clubs get very little if anything at all. To me they are the real heart and soul of the game. They play for their community, for their mates, most are just average players. Playing footy at your local club is a bit like being in the military, as in that you make mates for life. My Dad and I used to coach/ manage sides at our local club. the kids we coached/ managed , all those years ago, still come up and say g'day. We , [or me now, Dad's gone,] know their children, in some places football is the glue that holds the community together. These blokes are just ordinary people. Some rogues, some ratbags, but the majority good people. Yes, rugby league has been hijacked by vested interests, all out to make a quid. It's not a game for the masses any more, it's big business. And whenever big business gets involved, heart and soul goes out the window for the bottom line, the almighty dollar. Me, I'm happy to go down to the local club and watch the kids run around, I wouldn't be too upset if the NRL folded. As long as Fortitude Valleys came back in a local footy comp., like the old days. Don't worry about the multi million dollar stadiums, a patch of grass outside the can bar is good enough for me. A cold beer, meat pie, good mates, a game of footy , smell the liniment...…….How good is that! just as long as we beat the old enemy, Redcliffe.

Bob, I was a Diehard from u15 Juniors in 1955 through d,c, and reserve grade then coach and team manager at Valleys Stars in Bulimba. Also a member of the Juniors, Seniors, Leagues Club, and Old Boys Association through to their last breath in 1995. Club went broke three times in that period either robbed blind or from incompetent management. Tom Dooley told me that when he left as President late 80's the club was solvent and had $250,000 in the bank. In 1994 they were stoney broke owing millions. Where did it go? Who knows. As to player payments, in the early to mid 60's c & d grades got nothing. Reserve grade got game money, no contracts or sign on fees. Win $14 draw $8, loss nothing. In A grade there was only Norm Pope and one or two others who were contracted players. Most A graders got $30 win. Wally Pushke got a contract in 1970 for $4000 for the year. No game payments. Wally didn't read the fine print and found he had to play 14 A grade games to get the full whack. A Diehard great who played from U15 to about age 30, most in A grade got nothing. George Dziewicki told me that he never asked so got nothing. A number of good players were lost in the late 50's & early 60's to the Church and Shiftworker (later Commercial) leagues. Both paid better. Church League on Saturday afternoon and Commercial League on Sunday at Hamilton Oval. Hamilton used to draw crowds of thousands. Grog and raffles there on a Sunday when the pubs were not open. Great days. First game I played there was for Wharfies against Police was about the roughest game of football one could imagine. Whilst changing after the game a bloke came around and gave us all 25 quid for playing. I was gobsmacked. No one told me I would get paid. A wharfie mate asked me if I could play on Sunday.

Well said Bob and Bigbjorn, and the sentiment applies to all sport

Originally Posted by Bigbjorn

Bob, I was a Diehard from u15 Juniors in 1955 through d,c, and reserve grade then coach and team manager at Valleys Stars in Bulimba. Also a member of the Juniors, Seniors, Leagues Club, and Old Boys Association through to their last breath in 1995. Club went broke three times in that period either robbed blind or from incompetent management. Tom Dooley told me that when he left as President late 80's the club was solvent and had $250,000 in the bank. In 1994 they were stoney broke owing millions. Where did it go? Who knows. As to player payments, in the early to mid 60's c & d grades got nothing. Reserve grade got game money, no contracts or sign on fees. Win $14 draw $8, loss nothing. In A grade there was only Norm Pope and one or two others who were contracted players. Most A graders got $30 win. Wally Pushke got a contract in 1970 for $4000 for the year. No game payments. Wally didn't read the fine print and found he had to play 14 A grade games to get the full whack. A Diehard great who played from U15 to about age 30, most in A grade got nothing. George Dziewicki told me that he never asked so got nothing. A number of good players were lost in the late 50's & early 60's to the Church and Shiftworker (later Commercial) leagues. Both paid better. Church League on Saturday afternoon and Commercial League on Sunday at Hamilton Oval. Hamilton used to draw crowds of thousands. Grog and raffles there on a Sunday when the pubs were not open. Great days. First game I played there was for Wharfies against Police was about the roughest game of football one could imagine. Whilst changing after the game a bloke came around and gave us all 25 quid for playing. I was gobsmacked. No one told me I would get paid. A wharfie mate asked me if I could play on Sunday.

Dad played for Valley's after the War. Halfback. He went bush and got work through his football, initially. Uncle Frank was on the committee at Valley's at one time or other. When they folded my brother and I went to Dooley's Hotel to see if we could buy some old team photo's, with Dad in them. there were none left, and no one knew where they went. Wally and Dooley got them, was the rumour. The family story is one game Dad was running down the sideline and was about to score. A opposition player came in to tackle him, and NANA [ Dads mum] tripped him up with her umbrella. It was a home game, and Nana was " sent off ". Dad delighted in saying Nana was sent off more than him at Valley's. Happy days.

Originally Posted by bob10

Dad played for Valley's after the War. Halfback. He went bush and got work through his football, initially. Uncle Frank was on the committee at Valley's at one time or other. When they folded my brother and I went to Dooley's Hotel to see if we could buy some old team photo's, with Dad in them. there were none left, and no one knew where they went. Wally and Dooley got them, was the rumour. The family story is one game Dad was running down the sideline and was about to score. A opposition player came in to tackle him, and NANA [ Dads mum] tripped him up with her umbrella. It was a home game, and Nana was " sent off ". Dad delighted in saying Nana was sent off more than him at Valley's. Happy days.

The Official Receiver seized all the club's assets which included team photos and they went to auction. Some were bought back and are on the wall at Stafford Junior Clubhouse.

About 1961 Jim Lingard from New Farm, a talented full back, winger, centre, in his first full season in A grade was the highest paid player other than Norm Pope. Jim was 20 and an apprentice butcher. He played every game from trial to grand final, never missed a one, and got $800 for the year. He put a deposit on a house at Stafford.

There was a notorious old dear, a Wynnum fan, who was known to run on the field of play at Kitchener Park with her umbrella and whack an opposition player who looked like scoring.

I do wonder how much money went down the drain at Crosby Park. The Old Boys Association sold their land and hall in Julius Street to help the football club build their first home about 1961. Before then Valleys home was a corrugated shed in the back playground of the Valley State School. Thirty five years later the most successful Rugby League Club in Australia was defunct, finished. 24 premierships in 86 seasons.

I think introducing the ball into any sort of football slowed the game down.