Steve Sumner

Steve Sumner
Personal information
Full name Steven Paul Sumner
Date of birth (1955-04-02)2 April 1955
Place of birth Preston, England
Date of death 8 February 2017(2017-02-08) (aged 61)
Place of death New Zealand
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Youth career
Blackpool
Preston North End
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1973–1980 Christchurch United 147 (36)
1981 Newcastle KB United 18 (3)
1982 West Adelaide SC 12 (2)
1983–1986 Manurewa AFC 66 (29)
1987 Gisborne City 25 (6)
1988–1989 Christchurch United ? (?)
Total 268 (76)
International career
1976–1988 New Zealand 58 (22)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Steven Paul Sumner (2 April 1955 – 8 February 2017) was an England-born New Zealand football player. He was born in Blackpool, Lancashire. Sumner was captain of the New Zealand national team during the country's first successful campaign to qualify for the World Cup in 1982.

In 1991 he was inducted into the New Zealand Soccer Media Association Hall of Fame[1] and was then awarded FIFA's top award, the FIFA Order of Merit, before the opening of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, along with Johan Cruyff and former South African president Thabo Mbeki.[2]

Sumner died on 8 February 2017 in Auckland, New Zealand from prostate cancer, aged 61.[3]

Honours

Individual

  • Player of the Year: 1983[4]
  • Golden Boot: 1983[4]
  • FIFA Centennial Award in 2004
  • FIFA Order of Merit: 2010[2]
  • Friends of Football Medal of Excellence 2015[5]
  • Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (for services to football), 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours[6]
  • IFFHS Oceania Men's Team of All Time: 2021[7]

Club

Christchurch United

  • National League: 1973, 1975, 1978, 1988
  • Chatham Cup: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1989

Manurewa

  • National League: 1983
  • Chatham Cup: 1984

Gisborne City

  • Chatham Cup: 1987

References

  1. "Hall of fame". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. 1 June 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "All Whites great Sumner awarded top honour". stuff.co.nz. 10 June 2010.
  3. "Football great Steve Sumner dies". Otago Daily Times. 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Honours List". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. 1 June 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
  5. "Medal of Excellence". Friends of Football Website. 14 November 2015. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  6. "Queen's 90th birthday honours list 2016". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  7. "IFFHS ALL TIME OCEANIA MEN'S DREAM TEAM". IFFHS. 14 June 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.

Other websites