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A Tribute to an Amazing Volunteer

By Admin, 11/03/21, 10:00PM EDT

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Honouring 15 years of dedication

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and pay tribute to Grant Oliver, a soccer club veteran, and the Past President of our recently amalgamated Club.

Grant Oliver has been the heart and soul of local soccer for the past 15 years. Coaching soccer within his community, Grant embraced the opportunity to get involved on a deeper level. He joined the Board of the Uxbridge Soccer Club as Treasurer and his election as Vice-President and President soon followed. When a separate competitive soccer club for north Durham region was formed, he again volunteered his time and knowledge to get the club started on the right foot, and later became its Club President. Grant also partnered with the Scugog Soccer Assn. to form an interlock league to ensure our teenagers had a viable soccer program to continue their soccer development. Along the way, Grant has been an ardent supporter and advocate of local soccer, voicing member and community interests at the Durham Region and Ontario Soccer tables.

Through coaching, he was able to keep himself engaged in the game. He enjoyed the experience of coaching youth players and was extremely instrumental in the development of several teenage teams, both at the recreational and competitive level. Our club has witnessed his enthusiasm in seeing the development of players and his focus on improving players both as individuals and as strong team players. 

Grant took his love of soccer to the pitch every season, constantly improving his coaching certifications and mentoring hundreds of volunteers on and off the field.  As Grant often mentions, the goal of being a coach and a director is to be a role model. For our growing soccer club, Grant was certainly that and moved into providing the Club with amazing stewardship, quality information, organization, and execution. The key to being a good leader is consistency and a drive to educate yourself and others to become better. Grant Oliver has led by example and that has been the key to success these past 15 years for all four of the soccer clubs in north Durham, and now for the new North Durham United Football Club whose amalgamation Grant spearheaded to ensure a bright and successful future for soccer in our communities. Without effective volunteers, we cannot get effective players. One leads the other and we are fortunate to have had Grant Oliver at the helm for so many years.

We are extremely grateful to have Grant among us, and truly appreciate all the dedication, work, and effort he has contributed to soccer. Thank you, Grant!

To honour Grant Oliver’s many years of volunteer service to the soccer clubs of north Durham and his amazing commitment, North Durham United FC has named a player bursary in his name – the Grant Oliver Leadership Bursary, which will be awarded to a NDUFC competitive player to contribute to their opportunity to study at university or college.