Two former long-time members of the Red Deer Soccer Association will be honoured posthumously at the Alberta Soccer Association general meeting today in Edmonton.
Peter Cade and Terry Boase, each of whom lost a battle with cancer in 2015, will be presented with ASA Award of Merit awards after being nominated by the Red Deer Association.
Cade and Boase both moved to Red Deer from England in the ’70s and served the local soccer community as players, coaches, board members and referees.
“I would say they were involved in everything,” said RDSA president Paul Morigeau. “They played the game and they were both great players. Then they went into coaching, and then Peter formed the Central Alberta Soccer Referees Association.
“The numbers were really low at one point, no young refs were coming in.”
Cade was the first president of the Referees Association and when he came ill, Boase took the reins.
“Soccer has two seasons every year,” said Morigeau, in reference to the outdoor and indoor versions. “Since I came to Red Deer in 1994 those guys were involved every season in one way or the other. They really made a huge contribution to the officiating. The ref numbers are way up now and the quality is way up.
“Their mentoring has a lot to do with that. They were cornerstones.”
gmeachem@www.reddeeradvocate.com