" LEAGUE PROBLEMS "
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR]
Sm,—Mr. John Sparrow is barking up the wrong tree when, in his article of September 23rd, he attributes to snobbishness the contempt in which many people hold professional Associa- tion Football.
The point which deters me personally from taking the slightest interest in the game seems to me so overwhelmingly obvious that I cannot understand Mr. Sparrow succeeding in writing an article on the game without even mentioning its outstanding weakness. I have so often put my point to " soccer fans " without getting any enlightenment at all, that I have not much hope of getting any now. But just to inform Mr. Sparrow that those of us who find no interest in professional football are not all mere snobs, perhaps you will allow me to state my objection.
If I were offered my choice of a seat at any single sporting event of the whole calendar, I would unhesitatingly choose the Rugby match between England and Ireland. But if I knew that half the players on both sides were Scotsmen and Welsh- men ; and that next year any of the players on either side might be playing for the other ;• in a word, that the one and only qualification of any. player depended on the financial operations of his team's directors ; why, then anyone could have my seat, and welcome !
I would rather watch a " soccer " match between two village teams than between two league teams, for the simple reason that I would know that the village teams belonged to their respective villages, whereas the League teams are merely miscellaneous assortments of players hired and exchanged from year to year from anywhere in the country.
I can assure Mr. Sparrow that this strange. prejudice of mine against professional " soccer " would be entirely un- affected even if I knew that all the playeis were the sons of noblemen, and all the crowd were ladies and gentlemen voicing their applause in the most immaculate B.B.C. !—I am, Sir, yours faithfully, W. H. S. TRUELL. Stoney Cottage, Talaton, Devon.
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