Dec. 27th UPDATE: Edited to honour our late friend.

One of our most beloved football/soccer club members in Huntsville and Muskoka passed away recently, having been diagnosed with metastatic cancer.

Graham Pollington was a huge part of many of our lives – both on and off the pitch.

As noted by many, including in a letter to soccer club memberships, Graham was “one of our much valued and most dedicated members.”

Always there to lend a hand and never complaining about the jobs needing done, Graham’s efforts have helped shape soccer in Huntsville and Muskoka as a whole. But, much more than that, Graham continued to be a tremendous husband, father and friend.

As an ardent Liverpool supporter, Graham could often be seen wearing the iconic club’s bright red jersey, hat, shorts, and socks. However, he still managed to keep up with his friends’ favourite professional clubs and could have great discussions at length about football. Whether it is chatting about strategy, performances or a little good-natured ribbing should one of our teams be faltering, he always will be one of our most favourite people.

His other sporting passion was cricket. Whether playing fun games at Conroy or following the England National Team on WillowTV, he ws an avid fan.

A longtime volunteer in a variety of ways, and a valued board member for the Huntsville Soccer Club as the Club Treasurer, Graham was also a wonderful player, match official, and coach.

He was likely best known for his passionate and committed work as “Coach Graham” for the Muskoka United FC U15 Girls team this year and younger aged teams previously.

Not only did he help coach several teams over the years, but he attended a goalkeeping coaching course to become certified to help our clubs’ young keepers improve – and it certainly has worked in many cases.

What is truly remarkable, is how he managed to contribute so much more than that.

Whether he was diligently crunching numbers and balancing books as the Club’s Treasurer, helping pave the way for Muskoka United FC to come to fruition, cleaning out sheds, blowing up 1000’s of balls, repairing netting annually or generally fixing equipment, and so much more, Graham was the unsung hero every organization needs to be successful.

Many of us can recall showing up to the fields and the club sheds and Graham would already be there – either on his own or with someone else – doing those little things that help everyone.

And he did it all without any fanfare or celebration – well, other than the thanks, love and appreciation from his family, friends, and fellow coaches.

Graham will be greatly missed by so many in our community, and we send our deepest condolences to his wife Sam, daughter Kate and their entire family.

To our friend Graham: