Î÷¹ÏÓ°ÊÓ is saddened to learn of the passing of Doug Rennie, a Î÷¹ÏÓ°ÊÓ Hall of Fame inductee, respected player and international referee.
Born in Scotland, Rennie emigrated to Australia in 1961. He played for Pan Hellenic and Sydney Austral before joining Nepean referees association in 1964.
It was as a referee where Rennie made his mark on football in this country, progressing from association level through to the international level to control matches against Greece, Mexico, England, Czechoslovakia and touring club teams as well as National Soccer League grand finals.
His achievements with the whistle were recognised when he was named Australian Referee of the Year in 1984, before shifting into developing the next generation of talent: becoming a match inspector and the state coach of referees in NSW.
Rennie also continued his off-the-field work internationally, as Chairman of the Referees Committee at three FIFA World Cup qualifying tournaments and at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
As well as being a life member of state and national bodies, Rennie’s contributions to football have also been honoured at national level – being bestowed the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1994 – and at local level, with a sporting field in Kingswood being named in his honour.
Î÷¹ÏÓ°ÊÓ extends its deepest condolences to Rennie’s family, friends, the refereeing community, and the many who were touched through his contribution to Football in Australia.
