With 40 years of experience in the 麻豆社国产Youth Soccer Association (SYSA), Jose Oreamuno鈥檚 legacy was always going to live on.
But the SYSA cemented his name in club history with a surprise at its June 24 awards ceremony, surprising him by renaming the U17/18 Male MVP Award in his honour.
鈥淭his award was a big surprise but it meant a lot to me,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey remembered my years of volunteering, so it was a little emotional.... I鈥檓 very grateful.鈥�
At the ceremony, Oreamuno also received the Roy Penrose Award for contributions toward the betterment of soccer.
In his time with the club, he鈥檚 served as both a coach at all age levels, as well as a referee. He鈥檚 currently the SYSA鈥檚 head referee.
鈥淚 was a coach until my kids grew up. I was still playing, up until five years ago, some level of soccer,鈥� he said, noting his friend, the late Bob Mangher, encouraged him to become a referee.
鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful that he got me involved in refereeing. It鈥檚 the highest level that I鈥檝e been involved in.鈥�
Oreamuno arrived in Canada from Chile in 1978, following his sister to Squamish. He quickly got involved playing in the men鈥檚 league and when his family arrived the following year, he started coaching in the youth association.
In his four-plus decades in Squamish, Oreamuno has seen the sport develop in the corridor, particularly noting the increase in skill level.
鈥淚t was not as good as now. I remember, in all aspects, in all levels of soccer, there was the odd player that was really above average,鈥� he said.
SYSA president Tim Sjogren was thrilled to surprise Oreamuno with the honour.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a pretty humble guy, so he was pretty surprised and taken aback by it. It鈥檚 very much deserved. He put so many years 鈥� 40 years 鈥� into the youth soccer program, and we were pretty fortunate to have that kind of dedication in Squamish,鈥� Sjogren said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 always been supporting the program, whether it鈥檚 been through coaching his kids, playing, refereeing.鈥�
The awards ceremony event was held outdoors as a precaution against COVID-19, and Sjogren said attendees were glad to see it all come together.
鈥淭he people who came truly appreciated the effort that we put in and were happy to come,鈥� he said.
