Legacy of Newmarket's Mr. Soccer lives on after his passing

His nickname was Mr. Soccer. Former Newmarket resident James (Jim) Richardson has passed away at the age of 95. 

On June 17, 2021 after a battle with heart problems, Richardson passed away in British Columbia but prior to that he lived a very active life. 

“His first love was soccer and his first love was Ontario,” his daughter, Joni Richardson, said. 

Mr. Richardson, who was born in England, played soccer with the Royal Air Force team before moving to Canada in 1947 and ending up in Newmarket. 

Here, his love of soccer continued and he played a pivotal role in developing the Newmarket Soccer Club and the Newmarket and District Soccer League. 

He went on to spend 17 years serving in roles including vice-president of the Ontario Soccer Association, president of the Newmarket Soccer Club, and president of the Newmarket and District Soccer Association. 

It was through the sport that he met Benny Steenhorst in 1958. 

“He was easy tempered and he never said something wrong about anybody,” Steenhorst said about his friend. 

The now 84-year-old Aurora resident was playing soccer there, while Richardson played in Newmarket. Together, the pair built the foundations of soccer in the area. 

“He was a very patient, a good man. Very quiet, very peaceful. He didn’t scream at you,” Steenhorst said of Richardson’s coaching style. 

He said that at one point, one of their friends purchased a trophy that they named the Richardson Cup in Jim’s honour. 

The cup was played for by all the different divisions of the Newmarket teams until the governing body at Ontario Soccer shut it down, according to Steenhorst, who said they didn’t want first, second, and premier division players competing against each other. 

Mr. Richardson had moved to British Columbia by then. 

The trophy remains in storage now, Steenhorst said. 

“It’s been around for a while and it shows,” he said. “It’s not that it’s busted or whatever, just a little discoloured.” 

While Richardson’s daughter didn’t know what happened to the cup, she said she hopes people who played for it know why it mattered. 

“I think it’s important that people know what they were playing for and why it’s so important,” she said. 

The cup isn’t Richardson’s only mark on local soccer as he was inducted into the York Region Soccer Association’s Hall of Fame in 2016, flying back from B.C. for the ceremony. 

Joni said it was because of this legacy in Newmarket that she wanted people to know about his passing. 

“I wanted people there to know that he had passed because I think it’s an important thing to recognize all the years that he spent giving, I just needed people to know that he was gone and it’s definitely left a void, that’s for sure,” she said. 

Off the field, she said her father was generous and loved everybody equally. 

“The biggest lesson that my dad taught me was he loved everybody,” Joni said. “He knew no differences and he taught me, honestly as corny as it sounds, but that love does conquer all and your appreciate who people are and where they’re from and what they bring to the table and you work with them.”

She said growing up he was always willing to drive anyone to practice, make lunch for someone who was hungry, and lend a helping hand at any time. 

“He was just that guy. He would do anything for anybody at a moment's notice, honestly. He is the epitome of I’ll give you the shirt off my back,” Joni said. 

Joni lives with her family in Victoria, B.C. and said her sons are lacrosse players. 

Despite that not being her father’s first sport, she said he was always willing to travel to see them play, sit through tournaments, and cheer them on. 

“He was truly an incredible guy, he really was,” she said.