Chisholm announced his intention to retire at Football South's annual meeting on Sunday, having been involved in the game in the South since the 1970s.
The 64-year-old had been in the role as senior football administrator in the lower South Island for nearly seven years.
''The decision to step down is not an easy one,'' Chisholm said.
''While my last day as general manager has yet to be determined, I expect it will be at some point in the final quarter of the year.
''It was important to me to make this announcement at the AGM, in front of a good number of those who I have come to know locally through our shared enthusiasm for the world's No 1 game.''
A school teacher by profession, Chisholm, who hails from Edinburgh, was a highly accomplished footballer in his younger days, coming to Dunedin in 1974 having already represented Canterbury at national league level.
A central defender, he went on to do the same for Otago, and was voted Otago player of the year in 1976, 1979 and 1982. Chisholm found his way into football administration as a president of both Maori Hill juniors and Team Otago.
The local federation six which encompasses South Canterbury, Otago (including Central Otago) and Southland had been up and running for close to a decade when Chisholm left his economics teaching role at John McGlashan College to become its general manager.
When he started the federation was known as known as Soccersouth.
Under Chisholm's leadership it became Football South, and has grown from an organisation of three and a-half staff and an annual turnover of $500,000 to employ seven full-time and numerous part-time staff, with an annual budget of more than $1.2 million.
Asked to pick some of the highlights of his time in charge, Chisholm points to the growth in local junior football, including the phenomenal success of futsal, a more structured approach to junior player development, and the introduction of the Whole of Football Plan in general.
''Obviously Dunedin hosting seven games of the Under-20 World Cup is another big one for me. Already we are looking beyond that to the establishment of a permanent home of football for our region, including an artificial turf that will, I anticipate, be funded in part by Fifa.''
Chisholm will not be lost to the game and will stay in touch with a game which has been a big part of his life.
He said it was more of a change of direction than full retirement and he might look at doing something else.
With two children in Auckland and a 2-year-old granddaughter, there may now be more time spent up north.
Chisholm said he had met some great people in his time in the job.
''I would like to thank all the great enthusiasts in the game that I have worked with, both at a local and national level. I have enjoyed the experience immensely, learned a lot and will hopefully keep on learning.''
Football South board chairman Matthew Holdridge said while there was an inevitable sadness at Chisholm's announcement, he was most grateful it came with more than adequate notice to allow an orderly succession to occur.
''Bill is a true gentleman in the best sense of the word, and it is typical that he gives us a time-frame for retiring that minimises potential disruption,'' Holdridge said.
''He was already well established as general manager when I joined the board, so to me this feels like the end of an era. I would like to thank him both personally, and on behalf of the football community, for all that he has given to the sport in this role.''
