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After almost 30 years that manages children’s soccer in Selwyn, JYM Findlay knows this season will be the last.
The 69 -year -old organizes the first kicks and fun Selwyn United football programs for children from four to 10 years.
Findlay’s journey with the club began when her son, Robert, began playing for Rolleston at the age of five. Robert is now 33 years old.
In 2013, Rolleston’s football merged with Ellesmere Football Club to form the Selwyn United.
Even after Robert gave up on the sport at age 12, Findlay still wanted to stay involved in the club.
“I wanted to keep doing something. I trained the team (from Robert) and when he stopped, there was a guy taking care of the kids, so I went up and asked if he wanted a hand.
“I helped him for two or three years and he moved on with his children and I took control.”
What started with 60 children now grew to over 700 – a frightening responsibility.
“Actually, I wash all the shirts,” said Findlay.
“I had people who offer themselves to wash them, but I said no. While I wash them, hanging them, bending them, I’m checking to see if they are well or need to be replaced or washed again.”
Its favorite part of the paper is simple – to be outside on a clear weekend morning.
“I live and breathe. Seeing the children’s face, the blue sky, the sun shining, the snow in the mountains and the laughter filling the air. The kids have fun, that’s what it is,” Findlay said.
So why would he move away when he loves the role so much?
“There are three reasons,” he says.
“First, I’m getting older and slower – I completed 70 this year. The second is getting bigger and bigger. Last year we had 725 players with 77 teams I took care of.
“And the third reason is that I’m starting to make some small mistakes. As I have so many different groups that I do, I will receive an Email and send it to Saturday’s fun football, because it relates to them and then I will send it to the Sunday group as well.”
Findlay’s dedication is evident in the time and effort he puts on. It meticulously maintains a spreadsheet listing all players under their care. During the off -season, more than 30 bags of kits align your garage.
It is a level of organization that naturally comes to him, having worked as coordinator of rations in the Burnham military field for 28 years until his retirement in 2021.
He said there were similarities between his voluntary role and his previous work, especially on the coordinated and logistical side of things.
“This is the same kind of thing, the ration coordinator was working that he was eating where and all this kind of thing, so it’s not much different.”
He spends numerous hours of team classification to ensure that all competitions are fair and children can play with their companions.
“Imagine a four -year -old child appearing for the first time, and there are literally 150 children out there. They will enter the shell and cling to Mom and Dad,” he said.
“But if I put them in the same team with their schoolmate or the neighbor, they will feel a little less anxious.”
Findlay tries to focus on what he calls a ‘average’ child – those who may not continue to play at a high level, but who he wants to stay active.
“Very good players will keep coming back. It’s the ordinary player you want to fall in love with the game.”
As he prepares to leave the club, his biggest concern is whether he can really stay away – there will always be a temptation to get down to Foster Park and help.
“Part of me wants to take a clean break, because you don’t want to hover and say, ‘You should be doing it,’ you know?
“The other part is that I would love to go down and watch, because I do it for so long.
“They start as children of four and five years, now many are adults and have their own children.”
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