How 1982 All White Sam Malcolmson will be remembered

On the morning of the opening match of the Fifa Women’s World Cup in Auckland last year, Sam Malcolmson sent me a text message. Ahead of the game between the Football Ferns and Norway, he wanted to pass on some thoughts to young New Zealand defender Claudia Bunge, who he had coached years before at Rangitoto College.

The message was eventually conveyed – via a family member – and summed up everything about the former All White defender, who passed away in Auckland on Wednesday, aged 77.

Malcolmson was thrilled she would get the chance to play in a World Cup –”it’s light years from Rangitoto so well done in climbing that mountain and getting selected” – and encouraged Bunge to enjoy it to the fullest, as the game would go by “so quickly”.

There was a piece of technical advice – “one little thing, which a lot of players don’t do, as a centre back always be aware of what is happening behind you” - before he signed off by saying “play your own game and soak up every minute, you deserve to be there”.

Despite battling major health issues for several years, Malcolmson’s passion for the sport never dimmed and nor did his interest in the next generation wearing the silver fern.

Born in Scotland, where he played for several clubs including Airdrieonians, Queen of the South and Albion Rovers, Malcolmson emigrated to New Zealand in 1974, apparently after seeing the vision of a sun-soaked Commonwealth Games in Christchurch on television.

He became a fixture on the National League scene, both as a striker and a defender, and was selected for New Zealand soon after he become eligible in 1976, at the age of 29.

Kevin Fallon and Sam Malcolmson (right) with the 1982 All Whites before the start of the 2010 World Cup qualifying match between the All Whites and Bahrain in 2009. Photo / Photosport

Malcolmson wore the silver fern 32 times (five goals), including 15 “A” internationals, but will always be remembered as one of the legendary 1982 side that qualified for the World Cup in Spain.

”With Sam, it was his attitude and commitment that always stood out,” remembers former coach John Adshead. “I never coached him at club level but you picked up things. He was the oldest player when I was first putting together the squad [for qualifying] but he would always lead by example on the training field.

“He was one I thought, when the going gets tough at training, he will be in front of the 23-, 24-, 25-year-olds.”

Journalist Armin Lindenberg, who covered every twist and turn of the 1982 campaign, has fond memories of Malcolmson.

”He was a terrific guy, he will be missed by a lot of people,” said Lindenberg, who recalled that Malcolmson’s toughness and physicality came to the fore on the field.

”He was skilful and he could play a bit – that’s why he did well as a striker. But as a central defender, he didn’t take any prisoners. With that Scottish background, he was a bit of a cruncher, very resolute, that’s what you had to be back then. Sam had a heart of gold but when it came to football, he had to make sure he left strikers with a few bumps and bruises.”

The undoubted highlight of Malcolmson’s international career came at the end, when he was selected to play in the All Whites’ first match at the World Cup, against the country of his birth.

”For me, a coal-miner’s son from Scotland, this was the ultimate. The absolute most I could hope for,” Malcolmson recalled in the 2007 book All Whites ‘82, which he co-wrote with John Matheson.

Malcolmson then carved out a successful business career, in executive roles with global brands such as adidas, Pony and New Balance and Starter, though football remained an obsession. He was an administrator at national and club level and a coach with clubs and schools. He was a popular columnist with the Herald for a period and a respected analyst on various radio platforms, along with television appearances.

Malcolmson survived a major health scare in 2001, when his aorta burst, necessitating a 13-hour operation to fix the aortic dissection, before he was in a coma for three days. It was a shock – Malcolmson had stayed fit, with daily 45-minute runs into his early 50s – but he made a full recovery.

”His heart kept him alive,” the surgeon Dr Jacob Goldstein would say later. “The fact he had been an elite sportsman played a big part in him surviving the operation.

He stayed in touch with the 1982 team – who were feted for decades after their achievement, as a squad of amateurs who became household names and for 18 months threatened the All Blacks as our most followed national side – and attended the most recent reunion in June 2022.

Malcolmson was always good company – I saw him occasionally at All Whites matches or down at Kiwitea St to watch Auckland City – but also generous of spirit, taking the time to send a message shortly after the birth of our daughter last year, then checking in a few times in subsequent months after hearing through a mutual acquaintance that she would need heart surgery.

Though his health had deteriorated, Malcolmson remained a keen supporter and follower of the sport, particularly the All Whites and the Football Ferns. He watched the recent Mexico and United States matches and only last Thursday I received a message from him. He disagreed - with characteristic passion - about elements of my Herald match report of the 1-1 draw with the USA but backed up those comments with some typically astute analysis of the game.

Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.