1896-1897

There were no major changes in the constitution of the Northern Union for this season, but the Yorkshire section was increased through the admission of Bramley, Castleford, Heckmondwlke, Holbeck, and Leeds Parish Church. There was, too, an innovation in the promotion of the first Northern Union Challenge Cup Competition.

Several players left Headingley to join the Leeds Parish Church team, and other clubs, but there were compensating additions to the playing strength: L. Carys, B. Davies, J. Dyer, W. Glover, F. Greenwood, J. W. Jagger, A. Keech, F. Lumley, J. Lumley, T. Pickford, G. Riley, J. Thorpe, E. Tree, G. G. Woolley and W. S. Woolley. But only four of these new players really established themselves and made more than fifty first team appearances during their careers at Headingley: J.W. Jagger, centre; J. Lumley, winger; W. Glover and B. Davies in the forwards.

The team made a promising start to the season losing only one of the first six matches, and there were hopes of a very successful campaign, but from mid-October until the end of the year there was a complete reversal of form so that only one match out of twelve resulted in victory. Consequently, at the turn of the year the team was completely out of the running in the league competitions. We were soon eliminated from the Cup Competition, too, losing at Tyldesley after a long and fatiguing journey, but there was some consolation in the fact that the Leeds Club had the privilege of staging the first Northern Union Challenge Cup Final. Almost fourteen thousand spectators assembled to witness Batley?s victory over St. Helens by 10 points to 3.

It is interesting to read of the Committee?s efforts to arrange matches to be played under artificial lighting. Leeds Parish Church, and later Holbeck, were invited to take part but negotiations fell through, and the Committee, who planned to use Well?s lights, deferred the matter for a time.

The Association Football Section did not use the Headingley Grounds during this season, the Directors having secured a lease on the Meanwood Road Ground. Unfortunately after a considerable sum had been expended in improving this new site, the tenancy had now expired, as a third of the area was to be used for the erection of Public Baths. Under the terms of the lease the Company received ?200 as compensation.

The Report issued at the Annual Meeting, held at the Pavilion in May, 1897, revealed that there had been an increase of 2-40 members, with a corresponding increase in the average attendance, and a profit of ?39 on the season?s work. In commenting on the Balance Sheet, Mr. H. Knaggs, the Secretary, drew attention to the remarkable trend in regard to payment for ?broken time?: Two years ago under amateur auspices this item stood at ?988; last year, the first under the Northern Union auspices, it was reduced to ?694, and this year it is down to ?553.?

Whilst the members present at the Annual Meeting were reasonably satisfied with the financial aspect of the Football. Club, several of them expressed intense dissatisfaction with the playing record contending that the time had come for the Committee to search through the length and breadth of the country for ?star? players as other clubs had already done. It was pointed out, in reply, that the Northern Union rules relating to professionalism were most definite: that professionalism was illegal, that a professional was one who received any money consideration whatever for services rendered to his club, and that the maximum payment for bona-fide broken time was six shillings per day.