Vale Barry Smith QSM

New Zealand Football will honour the passing of football historian Barry Smith QSM, who devoted more than 70 years to the game in Aotearoa New Zealand, at this Saturday’s Delivereasy Kate Sheppard Cup and Delivereasy Chatham Cup finals at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch.

A legend of the domestic game, Barry, who was widely known for his dedication to the meticulous recording of football in New Zealand, sadly passed away on Friday 28 August, aged 88.

Barry first began recording football statistics at just 15 years of age and, over seven decades, assembled an archive occupying three rooms of his home and containing scrapbooks, newspaper articles, photographs, match programmes and other priceless pieces of New Zealand football history — some dating as far back as 1899.

''When you're doing something you enjoy, time and money doesn't matter in any manner''. - Barry Smith

Two years ago, when Barry and his amazing wife Colleen needed to downsize, the NZ Football Foundation helped to ensure his irreplaceable collection survived. An archival specialist described it as the finest-curated archive assembled by a private collector they had encountered during 30 years in the industry.

To date, a volunteer-led digitisation project followed, with over 30,000 pages scanned to ensure the work Barry began as a 15-year-old schoolboy will live on for future generations. That work continues today in Barry's honour at our Westgate office, and we welcome anyone who would like to give their time to support this important heritage protection project.

Barry's long service to the sport was recognised in 2020 when he was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) for services to football and historical research. A life member of New Zealand Football, he was also recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the New Zealand Sport Recreation Awards in June 2026, honouring his extraordinary commitment to the game.

“Barry was a legend of the game in New Zealand, who showed an unparalleled level of commitment to recording the history of football for the benefit of players, fans, clubs and the whole football system” said New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell. “In recent years, it has been amazing to see his contribution to the sport recognised through both the New Zealand Sport Recreation Awards and the 2020 New Year Honours. It was an honour to spend time with Barry and share his stories of the game, he leaves an incredible legacy and will be greatly missed by the football community.”

To acknowledge Barry Smith’s enormous contribution to football in New Zealand, a moment of silence will be held ahead of the Delivereasy Kate Sheppard Cup final and the Delivereasy Chatham Cup final, a match he had attended an incredible 54 times.

Rest in peace, Barry. With all our love and deepest sympathies to Colleen, Tony, Jennie, Jonathan, Sayaka and the entire Smith family.

A service to celebrate Barry’s life will be held at All Saints Chapel, Purewa Cemetery, 100/102 St John’s Road, Meadowbank, Auckland on Thursday 3 September at 12pm.