Football Federation Victoria is saddened to learn of the passing of leading peninsula soccer identity Steve Wallace who died suddenly last Tuesday aged 54.
Wallace is a former player, reserves coach, president and life member of Langwarrin, the club he joined soon after arriving here from Northern Ireland in the early 1980s.
He also is co-founder of the Bayside sub-junior leagues along with current Baxter Soccer Club reserves coach Colin Nicholson.
Wallace and Nicholson were inaugural members of a council liaison committee set up some years ago to represent all soccer clubs under the City of Frankston umbrella.
“As far as I’m concerned he was the heart and soul of soccer on the peninsula,” said Nicholson.
“Everything he did he did with passion and he was the one bloke on that liaison committee who could take off his Langwarrin cap and do it for all the clubs in the area.”
Wallace also played for Langwarrin in the Bayside League and refereed in that competition for a number of years.
He was instrumental in luring Victorian coaching legend Gus Macleod to Langwarrin. Macleod currently is in his 13th straight season at the helm.
“He was a very loyal person and he never ever let me down,” said Macleod.
“We sometimes had heated discussions but they always ended amicably. Right from the start he said to me ‘Don’t you interfere with the club and I won’t interfere with the soccer side of things’ and that’s why Langwarrin has been so stable for all these years.”
Wallace is survived by wife Joan, daughter Tanya and son Alistair.
A service to celebrate his life will be held at the Western Port Christian Family Church, 99 The Crescent, Tyabb, on Tuesday 26 July at 1.30 pm.
Football Federation Victoria would like to pass on sincere condolences to the Wallace family.
Courtesy of Craig MacKenzie
