Page:Association Football and How to Play It (1908) by John Cameron.djvu/39

 Rh their boys than in olden days. Schoolboy Internationals and shield competitions are the order of the day, while years ago boys used to meet together, pick sides, put their jackets down for posts, and go full speed ahead without any referee or any official. I have followed closely these schoolboy competitions, and in my heart think they are really a mistake. A boy of twenty years ago had to do all the initial work, which amounted to carrying the goal-posts to the field of play, whether it were a common or any other open space. They had to find their own ball, and many times I have given a few pence to an aspiring club. The blowing up of the ball was another great event, and in those days it took a lot of doing, the youth with the strongest and biggest lungs having the privilege of giving the ball its last few blows. The captain always had the honour of carrying the ball to the field of play, and could do practically what he liked with it. Nowadays things seem completely altered. The boy, instead of doing everything for himself, has everything done for him, and all he has to do is simply turn up in time to change and go on to the field of play. I think this is a great mistake, and if the youth of to-day had to go out of his way to a great extent for his Saturday pastime he would be all the better for it. When I was a youngster it was nothing unusual for an enthusiast to get out of bed at an unearthly hour in the morning and make all the preparations for the day's game, go back to breakfast, and then turn up at the office at the usual time. To do this one must be very fond of the game, and such a