Mick Seed, the first player to ever win the New Zealand Footballer of the Year Award, has died in Auckland, aged 83.
Seed will be forever remembered as the midfield playmaker who inspired Blockhouse Bay’s National League/Chatham Cup double in 1970, the year he won the inaugural Footballer of the Year trophy.
His teammate from the double-winning side, John Batty, paid tribute to Seed:
“Mick was our quiet achiever. He barely said a word during the game but let his football do the talking.
“He wasn’t flamboyant. He just got on with his game and was our “go-to” player in the middle.”
Batty, who was a 19-year-old defender, said Seed and teammate Colin Shaw were the “old heads” in the Bay team, and led by example.
“These days, he would have been what we now call a number 10. Whenever we got the ball at the back, we’d look for Mick.”
Off the field, Seed was a likeable gentleman of the game, Batty said.
Though he never played for New Zealand, Seed was 30 when the National League began in 1970 and he was able to show people outside of Auckland the type of player he was, providing goalscoring chances for the likes of Ian and Duncan Ormond who went on to become internationals.
Seed finished his National League days with North Shore United, but continued his interest in football as a spectator, often visiting Auckland grounds to watch games and catch up with friends.
READ MORE: New Zealand’s player of the year – all the winners >>>>
Photo gallery
Michael James Seed (August 21, 1939 — March 10, 2023)
The following notice was published by the NZ Herald:
SEED, Michael James. Born August 21, 1939. Passed away on March 10, 2023. Peacefully at Te Mana hospital. Dearly loved husband of Joan, amazing dad and father-in-law to Clare, Maria and Bob, Gary and Justine, adored granddad to Katie, Adam, Jamie and Tessa and great-grandad to Millie Mae. A service will be held at North Shore Memorial Park 235 Schnapper Rock Road Wednesday 15th March, 2023, at 11am.
Obituaries
Through the publication of obituaries, Friends of Football tries to recognise the loss of those who have significantly contributed to our game.
