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John Ledger: Stroll down memory lane shows game still has plenty to learn
IT'S amazing what turns up on the rare occasions you take time out to indulge in a spot of spring cleaning, a chore which is occupying increasing amounts of my time these days.
From long-forgotten documents at the back of desk drawers to review copies of books that never got opened, my efforts to clear away much of the treasure trove of sporting memorabilia covering my 14 years as Yorkshire Post rugby league correspondent has been revealing.
There is something cathartic about the process of emptying cupboards and sorting out boxes, an activity which usually starts out as a 10-minute job you could do without only to turn into a magical afternoon-long journey into the past. Just as it's impossible to resist the urge to kneel down and read the newspaper you've just laid on the floor while decorating, tidying 'stuff' straight into bags and boxes without a quick scan is not an option.
Some of the mementoes I've unearthed have caused puzzlement – why did I decide to keep a Bradford Bulls calendar from 1997 featuring a cherubic-faced Robbie Paul and a bright blue duffel bag bearing the legend 'Stones European Super League 1996'? - while others have raised a wry smile.
That was certainly the case when opening a dusty copy of a report by the nattily named Strategic Planning Commission in the aftermath of the 1997 World Club Challenge series of matches, a tournament which blew out of the water claims of parity in standards between Super League clubs and their Australian counterparts.
The report found the Australian clubs to be superior in 15 areas, many of which are as true 12 years on as they were back then: 'sheer breadth of player supply,' 'intensity of the competition,' 'availability of high-class facilities for training, conditioning and education of young players,' and 'a senior competitive structure which provides...a long enough close-season to allow for vital conditioning work'.
The England players who were given little more than two weeks to prepare for Super League XIV after returning from last year's World Cup will no doubt love that last finding.
It was also good to reacquaint myself with my bound copy of Framing The Future, the oft-derided tome which in January 1996 set out to lay down minimum standards guidelines by acting as the 'Bible for the future of our sport,' according to the foreword by the RFL's then chief executive Maurice Lindsay.
While undoubtedly worthy, Framing The Future was undermined by the scale of its ambitions, many of which remain largely unrealised at stadiums throughout Super League.
The dreamy documents and far-fetched reports are dramatically outnumbered by the sheer quantity of programmes I have amassed since I succeeded Raymond Fletcher in the summer of 1995. I have little recollection of the overwhelming majority of the matches for which each programme was produced and must admit that a very many of the players who featured down the years are long forgotten.
Although many of the programmes from grand finals and Challenge Cup finals – as well as most of the brochures from last year's World Cup games – have been stolen from the sports desk cupboard, enough remain to stir up a wealth of memories.
It's been a terrific exercise and one I can't recommend highly enough to all of you who are, or have been, programme hoarders. So this weekend forget the lawn, ignore the shops and climb up into the loft where an entertaining education awaits in those old shoeboxes filled with old programmes.
Footnote: As I write, two four-foot high piles of club programmes, all in pristine condition, many unread, stand in front of me awaiting a new home. Anyone who has the loft space – and is willing to make a modest donation to the Rugby League Foundation – and can collect them from Leeds city centre in the next seven days should get in touch.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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