Terry Carter may have hung up his boots and kit four-and-a-half years ago, but you can still find him hanging around the clubhouse at the North Cariboo Senior Soccer League fields.
There he is, perched on the balcony with a cold one in his hand, watching the action unfold on the pitch beneath him.
For the last 34 years, since 1981, Carter has been a fixture on the senior men's soccer scene in Prince George.
At the NCSSL's annual meeting last month, Carter, 73, received a lifetime achievement award, only one of three awarded in the history of the men's league (Glen Thompson and Bill Jones are the other recipients).
"It was a huge surprise," said Carter. "I was told I had to go by my wife (Heather) and they announced Glen and Terry (to come to the front). Glen looked at me and it was quite a surprise for us and an honour. I was president when Bill got his (lifetime) award. It's a great honour. Anytime an organization does something like that, it shows respect.
"It's been very enjoyable. I played oldtimers hockey for many years... it's that connection you make. You have lifelong friends. Guys who're there when you need a hand."
Carter's roots in the league can be traced back to 1981 when he suited up as a goalkeeper for Mackenzie's side that competed in the North Cariboo League.
Back then, the matches were always on Sundays and they'd tackle teams from Prince George (Labatt's United) and Quesnel.
"There weren't many teams then, but it was good fun," said Carter. "We were very successful down here. We had some great players. And we'd stick around afterwards for a couple of beers at the old Shakey's Pizza on Central because it was the only place you could drink on Sundays."
Carter, who grew up in Birmingham, England, arrived in Canada in 1976, first in Calgary and then to Mackenzie after a couple of years for a job at the pulp mill.
In 1986, he took a job as an electrical supervisor at Canfor and joined Labatt's United where he took on the backup goalkeeper role. In 1991, he moved over to the old recreational league and played goalkeeper for several teams.
When the recreation league and the NCL amalgamated in 1989 to form the NCSSL, Carter joined the board of directors, and besides treasurer, served every role on the board, including three terms as president.
The league grew, expanding to three divisions. With the help of Thompson and several others, the new complex where the current fields are, was opened in 1998.
And while Carter retired from playing outdoors with the NCSSL in 2010, he still finds the time to travel and play in oldtimers tournaments in locales such as Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii.
In 2012, he took a Prince George team to compete in the Palm Desert Senior Games in the over-70 division and they won the entire thing.
No longer on the board, Carter is still involved in helping Thompson maintain the fields. He's also kick-starting the new over-50 division in the NCSSL.
"They'll play Tuesday nights starting in May and we are getting a fair bit of good response," said Carter. "It will provide good continuation within the league. A lot of the BCISL (B.C. Indoor Soccer League) guys stop after their season and there's a need to have somewhere for them to transition to."
He's also involved in the game as a referee, an instructor and an assessor for the north region for the B.C. Soccer Association.
Registration for the NCSSL is now open for this season. There are now six teams in the open division, four in the 30-plus division and four in the 45-plus division.
The season kicks off on May 9-10 with the league's annual icebreaker tournament. League games will begin the week of May 19.
Anyone can come out and play at the icebreaker tournament. A player draft will be held for all players to help spread the talent around.
Each side in the open division can protect 14 players.
A change to the 45-plus division this season is that teams can each sign three under-age players between the ages of 40 and 45.
Information for all levels of skill and age groups in the league is on the website at www.ncssl.com.
Players can also call Heather Carter at 250-961-7577 or Bruce Deck at 250-960-9676 for information.
See Wednesday's Citizen for a story on Jones.
