At 5:00 pm this afternoon, Tuesday, 1st April 2025, Ian Holmes will step down from his role at Football Canterbury to join the Board of Football NSW. Ian lodged his letter of resignation after being elected as a Director of Football NSW last Thursday evening. It is a requirement of the Football NSW Constitution that all other positions in football be relinquished upon election to the Board of Football NSW.
Ian has dedicated over 50 years to Football Canterbury, serving as President/Chairman multiple times since the mid-1970s, as Association Secretary, Executive Committee Member and Senior Vice President. Ian occupied the role of CEO of Football Canterbury from 2013 to 2022 before retiring and subsequently rejoining the Board in June 2023.
Ian was awarded Association Life Membership in 1982, the Vice & Val Laws Medal in 2019, and inducted into the Football Canterbury Hall of Fame in 2022.
Ian's state-level football experience began in the early 1970s, when he was elected as a delegate to the NSW Amateur Soccer Federation in 1979. He then became Senior Vice President in 1981 and President in 1982. He subsequently held dual directorships with the NSW Amateur Soccer Federation and the NSW Soccer Federation for several years before being appointed General Manager of the NSW Soccer Federation. Ian has been awarded Life Membership of what is now Football NSW, an amalgamation of the NSW Amateur Soccer Federation and NSW Soccer Federation.
Ian was appointed the inaugural CEO and Commissioner of the Australian Soccer Federation in 1991. He also held the role of General Secretary of the Australian Soccer Federation. Additionally, Ian was responsible for hosting and conducting the 1993 FIFA World Youth Cup in Australia and subsequently served as General Manager of Soccer Australia. In 2024, Ian was inducted into both the Football Australia Hall of Fame and the City of Canterbury Bankstown Sporting Hall of Fame.
On the Board of Football NSW, Ian will bring his extensive community football expertise, along with his knowledge and involvement at the State, National, and international levels. Ian will continue his involvement as a volunteer and will focus his advocacy on the community football participants and clubs.
Football Canterbury Chairman Nick Kambounias, commenting on the matter, said,
“I knew we would lose Ian to Football NSW when his nomination was put forward. His standing within the football landscape is such that it was inevitable he would be elected.”
“On behalf of the Canterbury Board, Management and Member Clubs I offer our congratulations and wish him well in his new role, knowing we will still see him serving the game at a community and state level as a volunteer”.
