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1999-2001
TOM DELAHUNTY - 1999
A Wellington man, Tom Delahunty, has been named the eleventh member of the Soccer Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Soccer Media Association.
A printer by trade and later a business man, Tom has been involved in refereeing in New Zealand since 1957, starting as a new immigrant and continuing past his playing days into administration of referees and now New Zealand Soccer.
Although he has joked that he was a goalkeeper because of his lack of outfield skills, it was an injury - dislocated fingers when aged fourteen - which caused him to take up refereeing at the age of eighteen, when he took charge of two games in his native Manchester.
In the days before the National League started, Tom had established
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himself as a tough but fair referee in the Wellington area, and was very involved in administration, being secretary, treasurer, appointments officer, coach and president. He was also a member of the National Referees’ Association for 37 years in the same position, becoming a life member of the Wellington Referees’ and the New Zealand Referees’ Associations. He still keeps an active part in many refereeing matters.
International honours came in 1968 when Tom was appointed as a FIFA referee, the ultimate honour for a New Zealand referee. He remained an active FIFA referee for sixteen years, until retirement from active refereeing at the age of 49.
It is said that he caused great confusion in the match between Portugal and Brazil, being the only person on the field not speaking Portuguese. However, those who
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could speak English could not understand his Manchester accent!
The start of the National League in 1970 gave Tom Delahunty a national stage and he was a success all over the country, and in the nineteen full international matches he controlled.
Since his refereeing retirement, Tom has continued with administration and was recently a national councillor and still takes a part in advanced refereeing coaching. Tom was also a member of the NZFA Council for a short time.
A man of real determination and character, Tom Delahunty graced the soccer fields of New Zealand and earned the respect of players, fans and fellow referees. He is a worthy member of the Soccer Fall of Fame and the first referee to be so honoured.
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GARTH BALLANTYNE - 2000
It took courage to start a club in the hard old days of semi-depression, but the late Garth Ballantyne took it through all the hard years and then served it for the rest of his life. On the way, he served junior soccer in Auckland, North Harbour and New Zealand, as well as being a top administrator.
When he had spent sixty years as president of Auckland’s Comrades Soccer Club (later to be Grey Lynn-Comrades, then Grey Lynn before switching the name to Western Springs), the club really celebrated the occasion. They had virtually taken him for granted until then, but he was loved by countless boys who were affected by his form of community service.
They all loved him. So they should. The ace hockey player who had never played a game of soccer in his life had started the inner-city Freemans Bay club in dark days back in 1924 in the most depressed area in Auckland. It was to support young people in the days when there was little to celebrate.
It became the biggest and most successful in the city for many years, until the game was taken to the suburbs by those very Comrades’ players, and those of the other city clubs. In time Comrades became Grey Lynn Comrades, then Western Springs, eternally searching for a home ground and clubroom set-up.
Working for the Housing Department on disposal of wartime buildings, Garth was the man to assist with clubrooms, but the City Council never cooperated. He would be so pleased to see the club’s new rooms at Meola Road, facing the two grounds he dreamed of all those years ago when a small shop on Ponsonby Road was the mecca for snooker and table tennis.
Garth Ballantyne took hundreds of the boys (as well as cricketers) to his Browns Bay house in team lost for weekends and Christmas holidays, as well as being the
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manager of so many teams for the club over the years. He was also manager of countless Auckland junior representative sides. All had the chance to attend the Browns Bay home-camp at the then-distant seaside suburb for some team preparation.
Garth’s services to the game extended to the Auckland Football Association, where he was a big mover and planner for the move from Blandford Park to Newmarket Park. He was a life member of the club, the AFA, NZFA, and the then newly formed NZ Junior FA. He was an enthusiastic proponent of the North Harbour Junior Football Association, where he was awarded his fifth life membership. He was deeply proud of those awards.
At one stage he bought a camper-van and toured the country, boosting the NZJFA, such was his enthusiasm for the game, and for juniors. He was not so keen on the older players and those who demanded fees or privileges for playing or coaching the game. He was the amateur, to the core, and the new world of soccer was disappointing for him.
It was a bachelor’s life of service after a period shattered by his stalwart opposition to war. The harsh punishments he endured, served to those who would not fight in the First World War, are recorded in history books. He never spoke of those days again, except to state that it was futile when soccer chased an MBE for him in later years. He knew the information was on the Wanganui computer base.
He was born in 1896 and died in 1985, still married only to the game.
Garth Ballantyne is a worthy man to stand in the Hall of Fame, even though he never kicked a soccer ball in a proper game.
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TERRY CONLEY - 2001
Terry Conley probably had more influence on Canterbury soccer than any other
individual. He came out from Lancashire as a 21-year-old in October 1964 to join the go-ahead New Brighton club as player-coach, and apart from short spells in Auckland (with Blockhouse Bay) and Melbourne (Hakoah) was based in Christchurch until his death at Christmas 1996.
Conley coached Christchurch United (three spells there), Brighton, Shamrock, Western, and Woolston, as well as coaching for many years for the Canterbury and New Zealand Associations and coaching the national youth team.
In the 1970s he gave soccer the highest profile it has ever had in Christchurch and made United the country's most successful team. Conley's colourful personality, the cigars and three piece suits, his quotability, rows with officials, and most of all results on the field kept United in the headlines week after week.
As well as four Chatham Cup final wins and three national league titles, Conley guided United or Canterbury teams to a series of prestigious international results, including a win over Hearts and draws with Iran, Glasgow Rangers, and, most famously, the England B team in 1978.
Half a dozen players groomed by Conley contributed to the All Whites' famous 1981-82 World Cup campaign.
Conley and United parted company in the run in to the 1978 championship success when the club refused him permission to manage the New Zealand team on an overseas tour that overlapped with United's catch-up matches.
In his second spell with United he rocked the sport by suspending four players at Gisborne in 1981, a controversy whose repercussions, it could be said, left their mark on TC, United, and Canterbury soccer for some seasons.
As well as his involvement with elite players at United, Conley gave endless hours to coaching youngsters.
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