Tribute to Hassocks' key man Maurice Boxall

Maurice Boxall, the life president of Hassocks FC passed away on Wednesday last week.
Maurice Boxall sitting in the stand bearing his name
Picture by David BauckhamMaurice Boxall sitting in the stand bearing his name
Picture by David Bauckham
Maurice Boxall sitting in the stand bearing his name Picture by David Bauckham

Maurice had been involved at Hassocks for 40 years and had previously played for amateur football for Wimbledon and Dulwich Hamlet in the 1950s.

After that, Boxall was invited to become the player/ manager of Hassocks.

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A tricky winger, who liked to take on his opposing full-backs, Boxall made up for what he lacked in height and speed with his superb ball control.

Since retiring from football, Maurice remained involved at Hassocks, serving as both the chairman before moving to his role as life president.

As chairman of the club, Maurice was instrumental in moving Hassocks to The Beacon in 1992 from local recreation ground Adastra Park.

In 2002, a new 237 seat stand was opened at the ground, named after Maurice as part of the club’s centenary celebrations.

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Maurice was not just a well-respected figure within Hassocks, having been elected as an honorary life vice president of the Sussex County FA in 2002.

Speaking to David Bauckham in 2012, Boxall gave his views on amateur football, stating: “I like amateur football, I like people that are playing for the fun of the game, that’s why I was never paid for playing at any level and I’ve never allowed anyone to be paid at Hassocks.

“Players get something towards their petrol costs when they take their cars to away matches, but they have to have four people in their car to be able to claim that. The benefit is that we’ve accumulated quite a bit of money which has enabled us to produce such a wonderful ground as we’ve got now.”

Maurice worked in almost every area of the club, from on the field and management to cleaning the changing rooms before taking a place in the boardroom later on in his life.

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Reflecting on his memories of Maurice, Hassocks chairman Dave John said: “He was always there watching games and he was on the board that interviewed me when I joined the club 26 years ago!

“He was a lovely man, a really nice guy and he was all for fair play. He was very encouraging to all who were around him.”

Tributes poured in online in remembrance of Maurice, including the Sussex County FA and local clubs like Crawley Down Gatwick and Eastbourne United.

Announcing the sad news on Twitter, Hassocks said: “Without Maurice’s dedication, we’d never have played senior football”.

Highly regarded by all, Boxall’s name will forever be ingrained on the terraces at The Beacon as a lasting legacy for the work he did.

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