After nearly 30 years running kids’ football in Selwyn, Jym Findlay knows this season will be his last.
The 69-year-old organises Selwyn United’s First Kicks and Fun Football programmes for children aged four to 10.
Findlay’s journey with the club began when his son, Robert, started playing for Rolleston at age five. Robert is now 33.
In 2013, Rolleston Football merged with Ellesmere Football Club to form Selwyn United.
Even after Robert gave up the sport at 12, Findlay still wanted to remain involved in the club.
“I wanted to carry on doing something. I coached (Robert’s) team, and when he stopped, there was a guy looking after the little kids, so I went up and asked if he wanted a hand.
“I helped him for two or three years and then he moved on with his kids and I took over.”
What started with 60 children has now grown to more than 700 - a daunting responsibility.
“I actually wash all the shirts myself,” Findlay said.
“I’ve had people offer to wash them, but I said no. As I’m washing them, hanging them out, folding them, I’m checking to see if they’re all okay or they need to be replaced or washed again.”
His favourite part of the role is simple - being outside on a crisp weekend morning.
“I live and breathe it. Seeing the kids’ faces, blue sky, the sun shining, snow on the mountains, and laughter filling the air. Kids just enjoying themselves, that’s what it’s all about,” Findlay said.
So why would he step aside when he loves the role so much?
“There’s three reasons,” he says.
“One, I’m getting older and slower - I turn 70 this year. The second one is it’s just getting bigger and bigger. Last year we had 725 players with 77 teams I looked after.
“And the third reason is I’m starting to make a few little mistakes. Because I’ve got so many different groups that I do, I’ll have an email and send it to Saturday mixed Fun Football, because it relates to them, and then I’ll send it to the Sunday group as well.”
Findlay’s dedication is evident in the time and effort he puts in. He meticulously maintains a spreadsheet listing every player under his care. During the off-season, more than 30 kit bags line his garage.
It is a level of organisation that comes naturally to him, having worked as rations co-ordinator at Burnham Military Camp for 28 years until his retirement in 2021.
He said there were similarities between his volunteer role and his former job, notably in the co-ordination and logistical side of things.
“This is the same sort of thing, the rations co-ordinator was working out who was eating where and all that sort of stuff, so it’s not too dissimilar.”
He spends countless hours sorting teams to ensure all competitions are fair and children are able to play with their mates.
“Imagine a four or five-year-old turning up for the first time, and there’s literally 150 kids out there. They’re going to go into their shell and hang onto mum and dad,” he said.
“But if I put them in the same team with their mate from school or their next door neighbour, they feel a bit less anxious.”
Findlay tries to focus on what he calls the ‘average’ child – those who might not go on to play at a high level, but who he wants to keep active.
“The very good players will keep coming back. It’s the average player you want to fall in love with the game.”
As he prepares to leave the club, his biggest worry is whether he can truly stay away – there will always be a temptation to head down to Foster Park and lend a hand.
“Part of me wants to do a clean break because you don’t want to hover around and say, ‘you should be doing this’, you know?
“The other part is, I’d just love to go down and watch, because I’ve been doing it for so long.
“They start off as four and five-year-olds, now a lot of them are adults and have their own kids coming along.”
