Saturday, June 1 – 1918
The Football National War Fund, established to assist those footballers who have been disabled in the war and, in the case of their death, their dependents, has not been to cleverly worked or stage-managed so far, and the results, to put in frankly, have been rather disappointing.
Had it not been for FA turning over its Benevolent Fund money and the League earmarking their 3 per cent. share of the 5 per cent, charity levy for the same purpose the effort would have produced very little.
The first meeting of the committee of control, which consists of representatives of the FA, the Football League, and the Southern League, is to be held in London on Monday, and the basis of administration will then be decided upon.
There is one point that has arisen and which will no doubt determine what may be called the chronology of the cases. In many of these the men or their dependents will be entitled to war pensions, but it is understood that in the fixing of these any allowances made from the fund will be considered in diminution. For example, a pension that, standing by itself, would perhaps run to 30s. a week, would be reduced to £1 by a 10s. grant from the fund.
In other words, the State would benefit by the fund, not the people for whom it has been brought into being. Therefore the committee will not be precipitate in their administration, but will see that in those cases which will be open to assistance from both sources the pensions are arrived at before they themselves take any action.
(Lancashire Evening Post, 01-06-1918)
"Play Up, Liverpool" 