David Goldring was a major driving force behind Old Woodhouseians Football Club – Old Woods through and through. He joined the club as an enthusiastic 19 year old in 1974 and he probably didn’t know it then but he’d still be a key influence in the club more than 40 years later.
He never played many games for the higher teams at the club preferring to ply his trade in the 3 – 6XI but his passion for amateur football (he was a Spurs fan so he couldn’t really get passionate about the professional game) and Old Woods was obvious and he made almost 600 appearances for the Woods. He also held virtually every position on our committee Fixtures Secretary, and Honorary Secretary as well as Captaining a number of sides, before becoming the Chairman of the Club in 1990, a position he held until his untimely death in 2016.
In all these positions he was a role model and mentor, always going the extra mile to ensure all aspects of the Club were well run. He drove the goal nets, corner flags and balls to matches each Saturday, readied the pitches to make sure matches could be played and organised and ran all the Club’s training sessions – in his last season he also cooked food for the opposition every week, becoming quite proficient at cooking the perfect pie accompanied by beans.
Where David excelled most was ensuring that the social aspect of the club flourished even when the playing side waned – helping to organise numerous tours, end of season dinners and other social events which resulted in many players forming life-long friendships. An expert of the tactical ‘chunder’ and a man of great wit and intelligence it’s surprising he never won the club’s ‘Rodney of the Year’ or ‘Quote of the Year’ awards at our annual awards dinner – perhaps that’s because he chose who won them! I said he was intelligent!
David was the embodiment of what amateur football should be, perpetuating an ethos of fair play and respect whilst still being competitive. He dedicated many hours of his own time to ensure Old Woods exhibit these same values. In light of this and his connection to Woodhouse College the all weather pitch at the College has been named the ‘David Goldring Memorial Pitch’.
This page serves as a reminder to all at Old Woods and anyone joining the club that this club owes a huge debt of gratitude to David. It’s arguable that if it were not for the huge amount of time he invested in the club and its members the club may not be here today.
He was our teammate, our chairman and above all our friend.
