My editorial role started with a club magazine back in early 90s or late 80s with "What-A-Kick" magazine for Aurora Youth Soccer club in Ontario was my first experience and a surprising success.
At the time, I was the club president among other tasks. A bachelor with an executive chemist consultant job that allowed me a lot of free time, and, with the exception of a couple of dates a week or so, I had all the time in the world, often to way past midnight to work on the magazine - or shall I say "magazines"!
What-A-Kick wasn't a newsltter. It was a magazine from day one. An average 32 page magazine reaching coaches, players, referees, parents and sponsors. Only the first two issues were not self sufficient. In fact the magazine, with few advertisements became a fund-raiser.
Needles to say that the magazine was a great educational, communication and promotion tool. It resulted in incredible increase of sponsorship revenue, registration, image promotion and the over-all weight and power.
What-A-Kick magazine continued to 1993 three times a year. For 9 consecutive years I edited and produced several magazines including What-A-Kick magazine all by myself. In fact, for years I didn't have a computer, I used a typewriter and I did the type-setting the literal cut&paste way!
Motivated by the success of Aurora Youth Soccer Club's What-A-Kick, the senior regional "inter-district" men's league convinced me to join their board of directors as a VP in charge of referees and PR. They wanted a magazine too.
Well, it was April 1991 when the first issue of the Newmarket & district soccer league magazine
On-Side" was born; a 36 page publication.
"On-Side" magazine continued during my two terms in office with the NDSL until I left in 1994. It was quite a contribution to the success of league communication and administration as well as an effective face-lift to the league image.
The third magazine was the York Referees' Association magazine "Free-Kick".
It was also a real magazine from day one. This was my greatest challenge and largest task. Again, similar to the club magazine, many expected it to last a couple of issues. Free-Kick continued with 4 issues a year from 1986 to 1994 when I left the chair of the referees' association.
Needles to tell you what it took to produce such magazine, especially when I also was responsible for another magazine at the same time for years; not to mention being a club president, district association VP and constitutions committee & discipline committee chairman, a president of the referees' association of York Region and a referee, referee instructor & assessor! Yes, my life was soccer and I loved it.
Free-kick magazine reached all Canadian provinces and many National Football Associations around the globe, as well as FIFA. My scrapbook contains many letters of magazine admiration from FIFA committees, EUFA and many others. It was a personal pleasure and a challenge to produce Free-Kick and the influence of the magazine was very evident in terms of membership quality ad quantity.
With the fame and success of the referees' magazine "Free-Kick", I was approached several times to take on the responsibility of the OSRA magazine "Can-So-Ref", an offer I couldn't possibily afford to accept. My plate was more than full.
In winter 1992 I travelled to Alberta with a group of 7 referees representing Ontario SRA at the first AGM of the Canadian "National" SRA. At the time, CSRA was producing a modest newsletter called "Black&White".
I was surprised at the AGM with a motion by Ontario, seconded by Alberta to nominate me as editor to CSRA's publication "Black&White".
So I produced the first and the only issue of "Black&White" as a real magazine, not a newsletter. I made it clear that I would not negotiate my editorial privileges and that the magazine must reflect on my serious attitude towards such task. My pride in stamping my name on it as its editor meant that it had to be a first class product. Since such caliber of publication was a step ahead of the young association, I refused to produce a newsletter. In fact it was a mistake accepting the offer as my hands were full with "Free-Kick" in particular. As I said, I had no plan to accept such additional editorial role when I travelled to Alberta and I was never consulted with prior to the motion and the pressure by the floor - which I found it complimentry.
The next and last magazine was "The Valley's Kick" for Alberni Valley Soccer Association in Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC in 1999. A 32 page magazine reaching and addressing players, coaches, parents, referees and sponsos. Again, the plan was to reach the busness community to secure advertisements to pay for subsequent issues.
I relocated from Port Alberni to Nanaimo "still on Vancouver Island, just 100 Km away" in 1999.
Synopsis:
15 years of magazine editorial experience. Note that in 3 cases two magazines were produced at the same time:
What-A-Kick: Youth club of 165 teams from U5 to U18 with near 3000 members of players, coaches, parents, referees and administrators. 9 consecutive years.
Free-Kick: Referees' Association of York, Ontario, Canada. 8 consecutive years.
On-Side: Regional, inter-district competitive men's league. 3 consecutive years.
Black & white:National Referees' Association of Canada, CSRA 1 year
