Fifty Years of Progress 1880-1930

THE FORMATION OF THE ASSOCIATION A MEMORABLE SPEECH BY SIR MONTAGUE SHEARMAN RESPONDING to a vote of thanks, proposed by Mr. C. J. Pratt, at the conclusion of the business at the Annual General Meeting of the Amateur Athletic Association on Saturday, April 2nd, 1927, Sir Montague Shearman, who had presided over the proceedings which lasted less than one and a half hours, said that in the past their meetings had lasted so long that he had always hesitated to make any remarks about the Association. He did not wish to make any personal remarks about him– self, but they had really got through the business so quickly that he thought he would not be boring the delegates if he said a few words about the history of the Association. As he sat listening to the items read out by the Hon. Treasurer, Mr. Barnard, as appearing in the balance sheet with regard to the Champion– ships of 1926, showing a profit of £1,609, and when he remembered it was on record that the first Championship Meeting held by the A.A.A. only yielded about £100 in gate money, and a loss on the Championships was incurred, he could not help noticing the difference between then and now. It was a result of which he, as Hon. Secretary of the A.A.A. at that time, could not be proud. People who saw the tremendous reputa– tion the Championship Meeting had now acquired knew very little of the difficulties encountered at the inception of the A.A.A., which was inaugurated by a few young men at Oxford, who found chaos reigning in amateur sport. The old Amateur Athletic Club had then ceased to exist, except that it held a meeting in the South. Though some of the Nor– therners used to come to it, he did not think they had any Midlanders, and the vast majority of the Londoners were not in training at that time of the year. It ended, in the year I 879, in two rival Championship Meetings being promoted, and the Northerners and the Midlanders being dissatisfied with the state of affairs, they started what they called the Northern and the Midland Championships. In those days there was a burning question. People did not want to see anybody competing who was not a gentleman ! (Laughter.) I can recollect a conference called by the London Athletic Club, Sir Montague went on, and at the time I was a schoolboy. I remember a whole body of members of the L.A.C. resigned because the entry of a very fine walker, who was employed at Messrs. Whiteley's, and who won the Walking Championship, had been accepted for an open race at an L.A.C. Meeting. (Laughter.) So there was a dispute. But all that has gone now. 26