Footy’s halcyon days far behind us

Reg Watson fondly recalls heroes of past and holds hope for local game’s future

WHAT a sad state local and regional football is in. Once when a youngster was asked who their favourite team was, their answer would be North Hobart, Glenorchy, North Launceston, Burnie, and so on. Now they don’t even get a mention, let alone a thought. The answer today is of course Collingwood, Hawthorn ...

Those who lived the golden years of local football, from the 1950s through to the 1970s, can compare what was to what is. It was a wonderful era with so much more freedom.

Great names abounded, names that were on everyone’s lips and known to every household. Love or hate them, they were our footy stars: John Leadham, John Devine, Count Bingley, Malcolm Pascoe, John Klug, Burnie Payne, Rod Olsen. Peter Hudson, Ricky Graham, Peter Marquis (The Rock of Gibraltar, because nothing would get past him), Trevor Leo, and the list goes on. They are etched into our memories and kids today are not aware how big these stars were.

With just six teams in the local TFL, six in the NTFA and eight in the NWFU, each local football match in the South would get 3000 to 4000 spectators, a total of at least 12,000 a round. We’re lucky to get a couple of hundred now. Finals were a whirl — such excitement, with the whole community abuzz, and to get 20,000 barrackers into North Hobart Oval for the premiership was not uncommon.

The team that won the local premiership would then play the winners of the northern competitions to win the state premiership. Marvellous players such as Bobby Withers from North Launceston would stun the southern crowds with his talents as he had to his own northern supporters.

All gone, all belong now to yesteryear. What a shame!

And the intensity of support, the “one eyers” arguing if not downright fighting with the opposing team’s supporters. Nothing really serious.

I can recall when I saw a female North Hobart supporter hit a man on the head with her umbrella. No police called, no media attention, no follow up legal recourse ... and remember the Ryde Street Stand? Well known for the North Hobart one-eyers.

The Saturday Evening ng Mercury was circulated d around town soon after r the matches, giving a full report on the day’s contests.

Radio stations such as 7HO, 7ZR and later 7HT broadcast the matches live into our homes. And who couldd forget Max and Bill Atwell from 7HO who were back in the studioo after 6pm giving the avid listeners a full rundown of the action of these exciting matches? There were the collectable football cards and your team’s transfer you could put on your bicycle.

In those days of course, it was still very much community football, being allowed to take your own Thermos and food into the ground, without being approached by security and having it confiscated. At halftime hundreds were on the oval kicking the football with the kids and one was allowed with no questions asked to go into the clubroom and listen to team. t the coach’s pep talk tt to his

We got our money’s worth too. t first There the Under were tf 19s, three then matches, the Seconds and finally the big match with the umpires in white and goal umpires in their white coats and white hats. Today all are colourful for the purpose of television. The central umpire coming on to the field would first line both teams up and inspect their boots just to ensure all was on the level.

Then there were the intrastate matches between the three competitions which were well attended, quite apart from the interstate matches, which would exceed 20,000. I was at the Tasmania and South Australian match at North Hobart when there were 23,000. We don’t even get that for a local AFL match nowadays. All this was covered by the eager media. Who could forget Tasmania beating the mighty Victorian team under the inspirational leadership of Stuart Spencer of Clarence?

In those days players became stars before, if they chose, to head off to the VFL Victorian football and then return to continue to be local stars. Victorian players, still great in their ability, came to Tasmania to captain and coach, many of them coaching while playing as a captain. People came just to see these greats.

So what has happened? There are several factors. We know of course there are so many other sports and attractions for young people. But that is only part of the problem. In my estimation one reason is simple corporate greed — greed from the AFL taking our players away before they have even established themselves here. We are just a feeder state for the AFL. The AFL may claim they put millions of dollars back into local football, but where’s the result? Local football has been destroyed and it will never, sadly, come back to be the dominant sport. The other factor is poor management from CEOs.

When you get an AFL Tasmania CEO stating that after Burnie and the Devonport Football Cclubs withdrew that there is no crisis, one must shake one’s head. Now Brighton may follow suit. If that is not a crisis, then what is?

But there is hope. Community football is back — regional football. At each match they would have more spectators than the TFL matches, and it’s community football because you can barrack to one’s delight without having someone coming up to you because it is judged to be politically incorrect. You can take your own eats and drinks in to the ground and you can play footy at half-time on the oval. In some grounds you can drive your car in. The clubrooms may be spartan but so what? The atmosphere is there. This is community football at its best. This is Tasmania.