Warning: all comments in red are not Dale King’s
YEARS ON COMMITTEE AND POSITIONS HELD OF GUFC (from to):
1996 General Committee
1998 General Committee / Grading Panel
2000 Assistant Ground Controller / Grading Panel / Trophies for Jnr and Snr Presentations
2002 Ground Controller / Grading Panel / Trophies for Jnr and Snr Presentations / Fundraiser including the best-performed fundraising ever in GUFC history. The now infamous “Lip Balm” fundraising, which resulted in hundreds of Gymea residents looking like members of the Black and White Minstrels for many weeks or until they could find a way to remove a number of layers of skin from their lips.
2009 Competition Secretary (Dale is pictured here on the right with fellow life members Bryan Molan and John Bailey at GUFC’s 50th Anniversary Dinner)
2010 Competition Secretary … then resigned from Committee at end of a season!
Coached sons (Joel and Sean), daughters (Rebecca) and wife (Leanne) teams from 1995 – 2013
Played O35’s from 2005 – 2008 – until quite by accident he ended stomping again, completely accidentally, 10 or so times on the back of some poor sod from an opposition team who got tired and lay down in front of him on GBO. Despite his exceptional contribution to Soccer in Australia the Judiciary Committee did not see Dale’s revision of events as reliable and effectively rubbed Dale out of the Game. A devastating loss to the World Game!
FAVOURITE MEMORIES:
All the committee members that I’ve shared my time with that strived to make GUFC a family club and to provide a game of football for everyone (which can be a lot harder than it may look)
All the Coaches and Managers (well most) that put in their time and effort over the years
Early Mornings setting up the field while Becc followed me around or sat in Ground Control
Sunday afternoons at the field, Boomerang Bar and listening to Harry tell stories
ACHIEVEMENTS:
This may be for others to decide but hopefully a contribution to how the club developed into what it is today and some legacy as to its values. Dale is known as “The Machine” for good reason and it is not to do with his nighttime activities. He was the go-to man for complex tasks for GUFC for many years. He never said no, even to distributing a superglue based lip balm if it would push the Club forward. Dale is passionate, considered and cares about this club deeply. Whether it be taking on Competition Secretary at the end of Mrs. Ward reign or selecting coaches and managers awards demonstrating his highly developed feminine side, Dale was always there. He knows GUFC’s processes inside out (I think at some stage he even documented some of them… a first for the Club) and was fundamental in negotiating the Club from the Teal era to the Wall Totalitarian Autocracy.
ANY FUNNY STORIES:
Alan Dean “cleaning up” Brian Ward in the first Junior Presentation testimonial game held
… Brian was a little bit older than Alan! (Dale is on the far right)
Some Committee Meetings – Dale’s relaxed, gentle and laconic style at committee meetings will long be a favorite memory of all those that were privileged to witness then. The softness in his approach in explaining an hour discussion on the type of sliced bread we should purchase or the color of the socks we should wear not being the best use of our time is legendary. He was so considerate and caring he made sure no one else at the meeting has hurt when he repeatedly bashed his head against the nearest solid object and that no one was scolded by the steam coming from his ears. The constant grinding of his teeth and pulling of his hair (This, of course, was only in his the early years on the Committee) were a distraction but still fun for those of us that got to witness them. What was particularly fun when Dale’s was in one of his “heightened states of relaxation” was to mention how well the referees were performing. This was usually enough to send Dale off into the warmest of slumbers …either that or send him screaming from the room teeth gnashing and hobnailed boots stomping.