Terry Huffam is the perfect example of a man that has seen it all during his time at the heart of community football in the Bay. He is a football volunteer that has offered his time, passion, and love for the sport to help others find joy in the beautiful game.

Terry has had a close affiliation with the Hastings Hibernian club (formally known as Hastings Rovers) since the winter campaign of 1997. He is a long standing veteran of grass-roots football who has experienced the full cycle of opportunities while with Hastings.

“My involvement in the game goes back to 1997 when elected President of the then Hastings Rovers Junior Football club. With 9 teams I quickly saw a need to assist country schools like Kereru moving forward. Along with my presidential responsibilities I even ventured into the role of Treasurer and Coordinator to keep the club operating” stated Huffam.

In 2001, Terry took a step further beyond club responsibilities to become Junior coordinator on the then Hawke's Bay football board, while running the junior Inter-city competition and Hastings Rovers Summer football Monday night programme until 2007.  

As more volunteering opportunities opened up, Terry was sure to fill them as he gladly took up a refereeing level 1 course so that he could fill gaps when needed. This later led to a full weekend of football that began with junior football coaching in the morning, followed by refereeing women’s football on the Sunday. This devoted routine continued week-in-week-out for many years to come.

While administrative and officiating roles helped serve a need at Hastings Rovers, Terry developed a new love within the sport when we delved into the role of becoming a player. In 2004, Terry had the privilege of beginning a five-year journey that many fathers don’t have the opportunity to experience. Over five seasons and 100+ fixtures, Terry and his son Reece had the pleasure of enjoying our wonderful game together, side-by-side.     

This experience with his son has clearly hit home for Terry as he’s come to develop a strong belief that football is about unity and togetherness, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity. 

This has sparked him to get together his resources and organise what is set to be a commemorative end-of-season fixture dubbed as “The 3 generations’ game”. To display that there are no boundaries to the game of football, Terry will once again don the Hastings Hibernian strip, but this time alongside his son Reece (30), his grandson Vincent Huffam-Harrison (15), and his nephew Matthew Partington. Their opponent will be an Eskview United XI keen to end the season on a positive and unified day for Hawke’s Bay football.

“I have always believed that if a child wants to play a sport there should be someone there to assist and encourage them to get involved” These words from Terry Huffam ring true to the fact that we must all continue to support our young and aspiring footballers. We must then follow this message of acceptance and togetherness beyond these early years and across all areas of the sport. It is without a doubt that football isn’t just a game for the people, but all of the people regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity.   

Article added: Friday 31 August 2018