Life Mebership Awarded to Paul Dalziel at Mainland Football AGM

Mainland Football is proud to announce its newest Life Member, with the awarding of the highest honour the Federation can bestow on an individual to Paul Dalziel. The presentation was part of the 23rd Annual General Meeting that took place  on Wednesday the 8th May.  The nomination for Paul can be read below:

Paul commenced his association with refereeing in 1990 after a discussion with a referee who officiated his last game of the season in 1989. Based on these discussions, Paul was inspired to give refereeing ago – this inspiration by Paul and the acting on this now sees Paul in his 35th year of continuance service to refereeing.

During these 35 years, Paul has been actively involved in refereeing from all possible aspects. He progressed through the levels / ranks of refereeing have been both a leading Referee and Assistant Referee in what would now be known as the Southern League and also went on to be an Assistant Referee at the National League level. By the end of his second full season, Paul officiated as the Referee in the middle of a Southern League equivalent game which highlighted his ability to quickly learn and develop into a top level referee. Paul’s last game as a Referee on a top level game was seen to be in 2017 where, due to refereeing availability, after spending the season as a Referee Assessor, Paul was once again seen as the “main in the middle”.

Paul’s off the field performance has seen him as a key leader within the referees group. Back in 2006, Paul was instrumental in the successful integration of the old Canterbury Soccer Referees Association Inc into Mainland Football which resulted in the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between both parties in February 2007.

Further to this, Paul has also been the Mainland Football Referees representative on the NZ Football Referees Committee for which he undertook this role for many years prior to handing this role over to Simon Myers at the start of 2023.

Since Paul’s moves to be a refereeing assessor / mentor / coach, he has had a significant and positive impact on a number of the leading referees that are seen not only in Christchurch but throughout New Zealand. Paul analytical mind combined within his precise yet open form of communication has seen his engagement and words with referees (who are young and old) as being “wise words” which always add value to the referee that he has assessed.
Lastly, Paul is the current spokesperson for the Mainland Football Referees Committee, a role that he undertakes with great diligence and purposeful thought.

Based on this of this, I / we believe that Paul has shown over these 35 years a great service which has seen the dedication, values and commitment that are seen in a Life Member of Mainland Football by providing outstanding special service and contribution to the Game within Mainland Football. I / we therefore seek the endorsement of the nomination of Paul Dalziel to be a Life Member of Mainland Football.

Article added: Monday 13 May 2024