Terras' route to the full time ranks

WEYMOUTH turned full-time this week after years operating as a 'semi-professional' outfit. Here, Terras historian and Echo columnist NIGEL BIDDLECOMBE looks back on the process that has led to the decision.

Saturday 9th July 2005

SINCE Weymouth's formation in 1890 there have been a few stages in the lead up to the decision to move the club into the full timeprofessional ranks.

Originally an amateur set-up the Terras continued to play under these terms until 1907.

However the fact that the club opened a third turnstile at the Recreation Ground and allowed a number of players to share in the proceeds of any gate monies received via that entrance, was not declared to the Dorset Football Association.

Eventually this scenario came to light and the club was hauled in front of the county FA and then the National Association to answer for their `crime'.

This led, in 1909, to Weymouth being suspended from FA competitions and 31 players being declared professional. These players, many of whom had turned out for as guests, were suspended for varying periods of time.

From that time until the outbreak of the Great War, the Terras continued as a semi professional club. Following reformation in 1919, Weymouth reverted back to the amateur ranks, but this changed in the summer of 1923.

The club had won the Western League in 1922-23 and successfully made an application to join the Southern League for the following campaign.

They were accepted into the league's Wales and West Division and the prospect of facing such adversaries as Yeovil & Petters, Bath City, Pontypridd, Torquay United and the reserve teams of Football League sides Bristol City, Bristol Rovers, Exeter City, Plymouth Argyle, Swansea City, Cardiff City, Swindon Town and Newport County, led the club to enter the professional ranks.

A number of players were signed on full time terms - Thomas Jones (ex-Bristol City and Preston North End) and Charlie Treasure (ex-Bristol City) for example.

Several more were put on what were known as semi-professional terms, including Lutor Pitman, and the other players that season were signed as amateurs.

By the time Billy Walker joined as player-manager at the beginning of the 1924-25 season the Terras were paying 20 players as professionals.

The first game as a professional side saw defeat at Aberman, but 2,186 watched revenge gained a week later at the Rec by way of a 2-0 win. The Terras finished that season in 10th place (of 18) with an average crowd of around 1,900.

The club stayed in the Southern League until the end of the 1927-28 season, also playing in the Western League Division One to augment their fixtures. However, by 1928, attendances had fallen alarmingly to figures as low as 300 and the Terras were in dire financial trouble, bills and wages were left unpaid, fund raising matches were being played without too much success and club officials were digging deep into their own pockets to keep the club afloat.

In fact the situation was so bad that the Terras were forced to play two matches in a day - on May 5, 1928, in South Wales - to complete their fixtures, and the League actually gave the club £10 to help them with
the travel costs.

The average attendance had dropped to around 600 and the club abandoned professionalism.

For 1928-29 the Terras reverted to a fully amateur side and dropped into the Western League Division Two.

It was to be 1930 before the club could afford to pay players again and they made three signings on a semi-professional basis.

This was to be the way of things for the Terras right through until the end of last season, as they slowly rebuilt to become a fully 'semi-professional' club again, as they did earlier this week.