Obituaries about people of significance to football in New Zealand
Hamilton Wanderers have lost a “true gentleman” who coached, served on the board and acted as a mentor to many of the club’s young players. Pete Davies has died in Hamilton, aged 68. Paying tribute to him, Wanderers chairman Dave … Read More
A former club president and Life Member of Whakatane Town, John Bowden, has died, aged 81. Paying tribute to him, the club shared its condolences with John’s wife Anna, a former club secretary, and the Bowden family. “During this difficult … Read More
Bay Olympic life member and former president of the Blockhouse Bay football club, Ron Leakey, has died in Auckland, aged 87. Leakey devoted himself to helping various clubs in many different ways, as a player, coach, administrator and, as a … Read More
Members of Mt Albert Ponsonby FC and the wider football community are mourning for Audrey Earl who has died in Auckland after a long struggle with cancer. She was a Life Member at MAP and was a popular host to … Read More
The patron of Cambridge Football Club, Neil Stuttard, has died in Tauranga. The long-time club member was a central figure at the Waikato club in the 1990s when the Cambridge first team was at its strongest in the then-Northern League’s … Read More
Wayne Barton, one of Melville AFC’s greats from the early 1990s era, when the club climbed from northern league third division to northern premier league, has died, aged 50. Barton, or “Big ‘Un” as he was known within the club, … Read More
Former Eastern Suburbs coach Fred Dubber, a three-time winner of the Chatham Cup who was “a gentleman on and off the field”, has died, aged 84. Dubber was a Suburbs mainstay at left back during the club’s cup-winning exploits in … Read More
Davor Antunovic, a driving force behind the formation and successful growth of Central United, has died, aged 81. He was the club president for two spells (in 1966, and 1975-82), made a life member in 1981 and was a former … Read More
Melville United members are mourning the loss of Life Member Steve Bettis who has died suddenly in Hamilton, aged 62. “Steve B”, as he was widely known at the Waikato club, was one of Melville’s best-ever players and performed numerous … Read More
Past and present members of Papatoetoe FC have paid tributes to club stalwart Tom Manderson who has died in Waikato Hospital, aged 90. Manderson and his late wife Ellen were key figures at the South Auckland club in the 1970s … Read More