Minister Peets Pays Tribute To Charles Marshall
Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport Dr. Ernest Peets paid tribute to the late Charles Marshall, noting his ”legacy to all disciplines of sport” adding that his “passing is certainly a great loss for Bermuda.”
Minister Dr. Ernest Peets said, “On behalf of the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport, I wish to extend my deepest and sincerest condolences to the family of Mr. Charles E. Marshall, MBE. Charles grew up absolutely loving all types of sports, including swimming, track, powerboat racing, softball, and basketball. But football was his true passion.
“During his lifetime, Mr. Marshall was awarded an MBE for his contribution to sport. He was a Founding member of the Bermuda Referees Association, an Honourary life vice-president of the BFA and a First-Class FIFA referee.
“The Ministry truly appreciated Mr. Marshall’s legacy to all disciplines of sport, so much so that he was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. Charlie was also a very successful businessman and a dedicated and committed community man. His passing is certainly a great loss for Bermuda, and he will be missed.”
As a reminder of Mr. Marshall’s extensive contributions to the island, the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation reissued the attached bio of Mr. Marshall when he was inducted into the 2005 Hall of Fame, which is in full below.
Charles Marshall grew up loving sports — swimming, track powerboats, softball and basketball would all be sports he would play but football would be his passion.
He honed his skills in the 1950s while playing for his school club, the Blue Mustangs. The teenager soon found himself kitting up for BAA’s senior team. He played on the squad that won the first F.A. Cup in 1956.That match would be officiated by Joe Ferriera, who would have a profound impact on Marshall’s life.
In 1958 he would follow Ferriera into the ranks of referees and began officiating matches before he was 20. Marshall said he “used to referee one match and play the next” He would become one of the founding members of the Bermuda Referees Association (BRA). Marshall would also begin donating his time to BAA by serving in various capacities, including over 15 years on the executive committee and would rise to the position of vice-president.
His positions with BAA allowed him to be part of the team that helped merge the white and blacks. After he hung up his boots, Marshall said Dudley Eve and Ferriera encouraged him to become more involved in helping run football.
“After I opened my own business I could no longer devote my time to the training that was required to be a football player so I thought I could make a contribution as an administrator as well as a referee. Marshall devoted more time to the Bermuda Referees Association and eventually was elected president, a post he held for several years. Marshall earned his FIFA certification as a first class referee and began taking part in international matches, including one in Israel.
“He would eventually officiate in 20 international matches. His contributions to the referees association were so great that they recognized him with an honourary life membership. Marshall would continue to serve on the BFA’s executive council and served as a vice-president under both Dr. Gerard Bean and Donald Dane. When Dane stepped down, Marshall was elected to the first of his two terms in 1990. It was during his tenure as president that Bermuda achieved its greatest World Cup success with a run that helped unite all of the island behind Bermuda’s Team.
Marshall said he would like to be remembered as being “fair and honest and not afraid to face the issues.”
He added that he always tried “to promote the best interests of the sport through a combination of sport, social behaviour and education.”
“I am a great believer that through sports we can get to many young men, particularly our young black men who like to play sports. We should be using it as a tool to make them better at their education.”
He said that it is critical that an administrator be strong in the face of adversity, and not be afraid to stick to his principles in the face of adversity.
“You don’t become an administrator for praise or recognition, you do it because you like it and you need to put back into the community that’s been good to you.”
He added that it’s important that everybody make a contribution because it helps make Bermuda what it is today. It is because of that attitude of service that in 1993 Marshall was awarded an MBE for his contribution to sports and the community. And even though he stepped down from his involvement with the BFA in an official capacity you can still find him on some Saturday mornings officiating youth football matches.
He also served as the deputy chairman of the trustees of the National Sports Centre, a facility that will eventually be able to accommodate most of Bermuda’s sports. Marshall credits sports in helping him develop as a person and he said he felt that he had a civic obligation to give back and help others become better persons.
