Sadly, former coach and referee Fred Hall passed away on 19th March 2025 in Levin – a full life of 88 years.

He came to Wellington in 1973 from Doncaster, where he had refereed at Senior County Level in the Yorks/Notts and Lincoln Associations.  He continued refereeing in Wellington, although had a brief spell as a football coach with Wharfies in 1978.

After Fred retired as a referee, his leadership contribution was considerable, not only coaching referees but also his foresight.  In 1994 he headed the Wellington Referees 100th Centenary event at the Plaza International hotel and at that time was awarded Life Membership.

He led the negotiations of the Wellington Referees Association purchase of Te Whiti’s cricket clubrooms for $7,500 and six years later it was sold for $75,000.  This amount was gifted to Capital Football for its Home of Football building at Petone Memorial Park.

After a brief spell in Australia, Fred returned to Wellington to continue referee coaching before eventually retiring in Levin.
 

Article added: Wednesday 02 April 2025