A good year in terms of recognition for Kevin Fallon - ten year
Director of Soccer and Coach of the MAGS First Eleven.
This year he was also acknowledged for Services to Soccer at
the ASB Young Sportsperson of the Year event on Nov 6.
Fallon and Fitch earn sporting gongs
NZPA | Monday, 31 December 2007
One half of New Zealand's greatest soccer coaching
partnership was today awarded a place in the New Year's
honours list.
Kevin Fallon was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to soccer while Alison Fitch was the other sportsperson on the list, receiving the same honour for her services to swimming.
In tandem with John Adshead, Fallon took the All Whites through to the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain where they completed a winless campaign in pool play against Scotland, Brazil and Russia.
Fallon also coached the ill-fated Kingz in the Australian soccer league, and took the under-17 All Whites to a win over third-ranked European team Poland in the 1999 under-17 World Cup in New Zealand.
He has won the Chatham Cup with Nelson, the national league with Gisborne, and was instrumental in establishing the New Zealand Centres of Excellence programme for young players. Fallon was also involved in the establishment of the national soccer academy in 1987.
He has received numerous awards, including New Zealand soccer personality of the year five times, and was made a member of the New Zealand soccer Hall of Fame in 1995.
Fallon, who played for Gisborne City in the 1970s, was made a life member of the New Zealand Coaches Association in 1998.