I'm now in my twelfth year of football writing, since first putting pen to paper to report on the deeds of Michele Cox, Monique Van de Elzen and the 1991 Eden women's team. In that time, my contributions to the game have resulted in my collecting the Club Magazine of the Year award three times, in 1996 (Eden), 1999 (Metro) and 2000 (Three Kings United Premier Women), and a special award for Services to Women's Soccer in 2000. To say I was completely unprepared for what eventuated at the NZ Soccer & NZ Soccer Media Association's Annual Awards Dinner on July 20, 2002, is an understatement! Retiring NZSMA Chairman, Trevor Rowse, advised me afterwards that in the 33-year history of the Association, none of its members had ever won three awards on the one evening ... and it took a good twenty-four hours for the feat to sink in, believe me!! "The Third Treble" - to go with LFC's treble successes I enjoyed in 1984 & 2001 ((l to r) NZS Southern Trust National League Media Person of the Year; NZSMA Straight Shooter Award; NZSMA Soccer Website of the Year (and certificate)) To win the two awards I'd been nominated for, the NZSMA Soccer Website of the Year (for this site) and NZ Soccer's Media Person of the Year, was extremely satisfying yet humbling, but it was the first award which left me completely stunned and stumbling for words. The Vic Deverill Memorial Cup, aka the Straight-Shooter Award, is awarded to the member of the NZ Soccer Media Association chosen as the person who does something significant for the game in the season. I don't think I'll ever forget sliding down in my seat, putting my hand to my face and quietly groaning "Oh no!" as soon as Trevor mentioned women's soccer!! Of course, at times like that, you can never thank all the people you want to, due primarily to the fact you can't remember specific details because you're still taking on board what's going on!! Suffice to say, my stumbling effort will never begin to compare with the acceptance speech made by the incomparable John Cleese, when receiving a BAFTA award for his film, "A Fish Called Wanda". I'm sure you'll recall the one - the planet Saturn, and all of its rings, amongst other things and people, was acknowledged in an acceptance speech which was written on the back of a postage stamp and reeled off in totally deadpan manner. Absolutely priceless!! What I do for the game, I do for the players, the coaching staff and the clubs, because I see no reason why their efforts in senior level action each Saturday and Sunday shouldn't be acknowledged in some way, shape or form. That's why, on most weekends in the winter, I cover at least three games, a figure which rose to five games in days gone by, when the schedules saw games played on Friday night, Saturday afternoon, Saturday night, Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon ... lovely jubbly!! More please! What you see appearing on this site, the sub-site (www.nzsoccerscoreboard.com), and the Sportsweb and Soccer Observer sites is done for no financial return, either - hence the request for a financial sponsor on the home page of this site. Given my work commitments are now of a part-time nature, to accommodate the sheer volume of my football work, the importance of securing said sponsorship is increasing. Unless my attendance is absolutely imperative, I have already begun ruling out covering games at grounds which are outside a twenty-minute travelling radius from home, primarily due to financial constraints and time commitments. For instance, if the Football Kingz had opted for North Harbour Stadium as their home venue for the 2002-3 NSL season, I would have been doing my match reports on their games off the TV - I simply cannot justify the time commitment, nor the financial outlay which, in my case, a journey across "The Car-Strangled Spanner" (a.k.a. the Auckland Harbour Bridge) involves. It's not something I want to do, nor a situation with which I'm happy. But that's the cut of the cloth at present. Refer to the home page for details of the exposure I can provide, and if you can be of assistance on the financial front, I'd be only too happy to hear from you. As outlined before, what I do for the game is for the benefit of the players, the coaching staff and the clubs. I'm not interested in the politics and bally-hoo that goes on behind the scenes, unless those responsible for fixing that which ain't broke in the first place interfere with the game to such an extent that their meddling directly and negatively impacts upon the players at senior level. Only on such occasions will the powers that be in Auckland or New Zealand soccer circles find a few broadsides emanating from this source - the rest of the time can be spent getting on with doing whatever's necessary behind the scenes to improve soccer's lot. So to the players, the coaching staff and the clubs, my thanks, particularly those involved in women's soccer, and, most especially, JR's Angels - simply the best! These awards wouldn't have been achieved without your contributions over the last twelve years, people, and the need for those efforts to be made known to the wider world. God - and personal circumstances - willing, I'll carry on doing so for the foreseeable future. It goes without saying that, in light of feeling like I've won the League, the FA Cup and the European Cup with this personal treble - it bodes well for GH and the lads in 2002-3, doesn't it?!?! - I can't let the opportunity pass without paying due homage to the ongoing influence and inspiration of the ultimate purveyors of the beautiful game ... to the unintiated, L.F.C.!! Two special friends deserve special mention. Thanks very much, Mum and Dad. And, too, God, the source of all our talents, though some may not appreciate, believe, welcome or acknowledge His influence in our lives. Jeremy Ruane August 9, 2002