Many of those who give up their time for the good of the game all over the country were recognised by New Zealand Football earlier this month and there were some heart-warming stories among them.

As part of Volunteering New Zealand’s National Volunteer Week, New Zealand Football provided $3,500 in MTA gift vouchers to its seven federations and these were then handed out to worthy recipients in each region.

Over 70 people received a token of appreciation for their efforts and, based on the tributes included as part of their nominations, it is clear the game in this country has much to thank them for. All are greatly deserving of our gratitude but some nominations stood out in particular for their inspirational nature.

Epitomising the selfless spirit of volunteering in the north was Dene Harrison from Paihia FC. Dene has been involved with the club for over 20 years and is part of the committee but also performs multiple other roles, such as applying for funding, coaching the senior team and even tending to the pitches. “He’s at the club grounds every week preparing and marking the fields,” his nomination read. “At the beginning of every season he takes a week off work to prepare the fields for the beginning of the season. Dene does shift work so some days he is working at the fields or coaching or refereeing games with very limited sleep. He also goes around the local primary schools in his spare time to promote football. He is so dedicated to this club and, without Dene, the club wouldn’t be here today.”

Sharing the same sense of commitment is Steven Cuthill from Manukau City in south Auckland. “Affectionately known as ‘Scottie’, Steven is a volunteer with a can-do attitude and a club committee member, who is also assistant coach for our senior ladies team. He is the club-based referee when required for home games, vacuums the club early Saturday mornings, sets up the fields and packs away the equipment. Will also volunteer to assist in managing the bar…phew! That’s only a few of the tasks that Scottie volunteers for with endless energy and serves as a source of motivation for the rest of us. He is a breath of fresh air to our club.”

It’s a similar story in WaiBOP, where Olly Webb dedicates countless hours to his beloved Otumoetai FC . “Olly is not only the 8^th grade coordinator but also the 11^th grade coordinator and overall junior coordinator for the club. He also coaches an 8^th grade team and co-coaches the 11^th grade development and academy teams. Olly always gives so much time to the club and is first to help out with setting up the goals and fields. He gives so much to the kids.”

In the middle of the North Island, Steve and Meredith Knight likewise dedicate many hours to the local game in Levin. “Steve and Meredith have coached club and school teams for many years, despite neither of them coming from a football background. It is not uncommon for them to drive from one side of town to the other to pick up and drop off groups of players. They are genuinely good people with hearts of gold and are a huge asset to our club.”

In the capital, even a serious injury couldn’t keep Jo Moar away from her duties at Wellington United. “To give you an idea of Jo’s commitment, she recently sustained a horrific leg injury which required surgery. And yet there she was the following weekend, at our club rooms helping out. She puts her hand up to cook for teams, has installed a new stocktake system with our till this year and makes sure teams are updated regarding fixtures and results. Outside of the weekend, she is busy putting together and running events for our club members. From our opening day brunch to our recent quiz night and future 125^th anniversary dinner, Jo is leading the charge!”

It’s no different in the South Island, where Peter Skinley is president of Christchurch’s Parklands United and also runs the bar and club rooms. “He is heavily involved in all aspects of our club, including running our sausage sizzle each Saturday at our First Kicks and Fun Football modules. His whole Saturday – from when we set the fields up in the morning to when the tills are counted at night – is dedicated to the club, not to mention all the hours he spends during the week attending meetings and organising things. Whenever possible, he’s always on the sidelines getting to know our coaches and cheering the players on – he loves seeing everyone enjoying their games. Peter embodies everything there is for a volunteer in a club and is a great example for everyone.”

Further south, the efforts of Aaron Drake are so well appreciated that he was nominated multiple times by the families of those he coaches at Melchester Rovers in Dunedin. “For the past two years, he has gone over and above to create a fantastic environment for our kids. He gives up many hours of his time to run two weekly practices, referee games and install in the boys a superb sense of team ethics. He has worked hard to create a terrific relationship with each team member and his communication with parents is flawless. His commitment is not just during football season, he has also volunteered to coach a futsal team made up of our players to help keep the team together over the off season. On top of his commitment to our team, Aaron is also a committee member – more time and energy volunteered selflessly.”

Jamie Milne, Community Development Manager for New Zealand Football, was moved by the touching nature of many of the tales that emerged from the volunteer recognition.

“Reading these stories and those of all the other recipients who were recognised made me feel really proud to know we have such great people supporting our sport – it’s pretty inspiring stuff really,” he says.

The full list of MTA voucher recipients for their sterling volunteering efforts is as follows:

Northern Football: Phil Auton (Kamo SC), Natasha Carter-Bing (Waitemata FC), Dene Harrison (Paihia FC), Cameron Dorward (Forrest Hill Milford United AFC), Mark Oliver (Warkworth FC), Drew Knauf (Waitakere City FC), James Smith (Hibiscus Coast AFC/Kingsway School), Penni Ward (Birkenhead United), Arahi Ruffell (Albany United), Shannon Hawthorne (Kerikeri FC)

Auckland Football: Julia Vidovich (Ellerslie AFC), Angela Yuksich (Drury United/Franklin United), Brett Toner (Waiuku AFC), Steven Cuthill (Manukau City), Joyce Leevard (Papakura City), Paul Ivory (Bay Olympic), Alan Clarke (Eastern Suburbs), Jeff King (Bay Olympic), Tim Adams (Ellerslie AFC), Brett Caddy (Papakura City FC)

WaiBOP Football: Neil Carrington (Otonga Primary School/Otonga FC), Olly Webb (Otumoetai FC), Tim Bailey (Cambridge FC), Andrea Rasmusen (Whenuakite School), Andrew Hansford (Morrinsville Junior Football), Bob Turlington (Paeroa Rangers), Brent Armitage (Blue Rovers Football), Dave McGall (Hamilton Wanderers AFC), Emma Bignell (Tauranga City AFC), Toni Schwartfeger (Te Puke Junior Football)

Central Football: Kent Woodfield (Napier South Juniors), Nicola Fryer (Central Hawke’s Bay Junior Football), Saskia Knight (Whanganui High School), Andrew Newman (Wanganui Juniors), Nicolette Adamson (Massey University FC), Steve and Meredith Knight (Levin AFC/Levin North School), Rebecca Holland (Feilding United AFC), Mark Saunders (Woodleigh School), Patrick Lawrence (Hawera High School), Andrew Barron (New Plymouth Rangers)

Capital Football: Ange Pope (Douglas Villa), Gary Hewson (Greytown Junior FC), Gillian Flower (Wairarapa United), Jackie Delaney (Miramar Rangers), Jo Moar (Wellington United AFC), Johanna Moss (Stokes Valley Junior FC), Kevin Wilson (Wairarapa United), Lance Riddell (Douglas Villa), Sean Kelly (Kapiti Coast United), Todd Collings (Onslow Junior FC) 

Mainland Football: Steve Hodson (Hornby United), Casey Hodson (Hornby United), Peter Skinley (Parklands United), Lindsay McCallum (Blenheim Valley), Jodi Gauci (Nomads United AFC), Nigel Gibbins (FC Nelson), Steve Daly (Nomads United AFC), Martin (OJ) Dodson (Methven FC), Rose Imms (Nomads United AFC), Tom Marston (FC Nelson)

Football South: Aaron Drake (Melchester Rovers), Grant Neal (Riverside FC), Steven Collins (Grants Braes), Jeremy Samuels (Otago Football Referees’ Association), David Creed (Grants Braes), Di Wardle (Meadowbank United FC), Carl Lambert (Wyndham Town FC), Jaime Linton (Pleasant Point FC), Tash Mattingly (Dunedin Technical), Sam and Tayla Baldwin, Twyla Kingan

Article added: Friday 13 July 2018