Peter’s love of football began from a young age when he used to get a football magazine called ‘Tiger’ out of England. He quickly became a lover of the sport and especially Manchester United, who he has remained loyal to till this day.
Peter grew up in West Pymble and began playing football in the 1960s with West Pymble from U11s to U16s.
After his playing career he became a referee, which he continued until he was around the age of 60. Around this time, Peter started to become gradually more involved with Lindfield Football Club, joining the club committee around 1985 and remaining there until the 2000s. During his time at Lindfield, he became secretary, was President for 15 years and was instrumental in the promotion of Lindfield into the Men’s Premier League. Peter states: “At that time we did not have a Premier League team and it was a lot of effort getting a team to turn up and actually qualifying (for promotion), which we eventually achieved.”
It was through his refereeing background that Peter first became involved with Northern Suburbs Football Association (NSFA) or as it was known then Ku-ring-gai District Soccer Association (KDSA). He was the Referees representative to the KDSA in the 1970s, holding the position for 5 years, as well as Head of Referees from 1974 – 1975.
As his sons got older Peter took a lot more interest in All Age and joined the KDSA competitions committees, serving as All-Age Coordinator/Chairman from 2007- 2009 and the Chairman of Men’s Football from 2009 – 2010.
Peter was one of the first members who had the opportunity to work with some of the earlier computer systems at Linfield and KDSA. In his roles, he spent hours trying to download information at KDSA about memberships and registration numbers.
Peter’s great skills of communication and collaboration made him a strong team player and saw his success as Coordinator and Chairman of All Age. Peter emphasised the importance of working with people.
“You have got to give the people on committee the responsibility to do what they need to do and allow them to do it, not just run it by yourself and that is the absolute secret.”
Peter held a seat on the NSFA Appeals panel for several years right up until 2018 and was unable to continue when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred. Peter was awarded Life Member in 2008 in recognition of his dedication and hard work for NSFA.
When asked about the significant contributions he had made, Peter stated that he took great pride in contributing to the development of Lindfield.
“Building Lindfield from a 250-member team/club to the size it was when I moved away from Linfield 13 or 14 years ago, with just over 2000 members then.”
“The other thing that comes to mind both at Linfield and KDSA was the gradual professionalisation of the clubs/association. When I was first involved with KDSA and Lindfield everyone was a volunteer.”
“To see where it is today is very satisfying and showcases the significant growth of football and its value to society.”
Peter is also a life member of Lindfield Football Club and is very honoured to be considered an important figure for both Lindfield and the NSFA.
“It was ongoing work, and it was very demanding yet also satisfying, fulfilling and enjoyable,” he said.
“It was all good fun.”
We thank Peter for his contributions to the game of football, his club Lindfield and the NSFA, and wish him all the best for the future.
The Northern Suburbs FA has existed since 1957 (formerly KDSA) and as we enter our 65th year we are seeking support to help us collate information, digitise records and present this on a specific NSFA History website.
In partnership with Macquarie University we have commenced phase 1 of this project, which aims to compile photos and information on each NSFA Life Member.
If you have any information on NSFA Life Members (particularly before 1980) or would like to provide assistance on the larger NSFA History project, please email nick.amies@nsfa.asn.au