Michael John Charles Balson (9 September 1947 – 30 May 2019) was an English retired professional

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

defender who played professionally in England, South Africa and the United States. His career brought him to the United States where he served several decades as a referee as well as a team and league executive. He was a member of both the

National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association The National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NISOA) is the organization responsible for improving the quality of officiating at college soccer matches in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonl ...

Hall of Fame and the

United Soccer Leagues United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

Hall of Fame.

Player

A member of England's oldest family of commercial butchers, As a youth he served as the captain of Colfox School squad. He also had a stint at Bridport FC Balson grew up in England where he began playing for

Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third tier of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...

in 1966. In 1974, he transferred to South African club,

Highlands Park Highlands Park Football Club was a South African professional soccer club who played in Modderfontein, Johannesburg. They were founded in 2003 as a phoenix club to the earlier Highlands Park F.C. (1959) and Highlands Park F.C. (1990) The c ...

. In 1979, he moved to the United States where he signed with the

Atlanta Chiefs The Atlanta Chiefs were an American professional soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The team competed in the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967 and the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1968 to 1973 and again from 19 ...

of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

. In 1982, he played for the

Georgia Generals Georgia Generals were a professional soccer team in the United States. They played for one season (1982) in the ASL. They were formed when the Cleveland Cobras franchise moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Their owner was Walt Russell. They played their ...

of the American Soccer League. He played for the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...

during the

1986–87 American Indoor Soccer Association season The 1986–87 American Indoor Soccer Association season was the third season of the league. The Columbus Capitals and Kalamazoo Kangaroos did not return after the 1985–86 season. Four teams, including former NASL stalwarts, Tampa Bay Rowdies ...

Referee

In 1981, Balson became a member of the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NISOA). Over the years, he worked his way into the highest levels of intercollegiate refereeing. In 1984, he became a national referee, working both national junior college and NAIA women's finals. In 1985, he officiated during the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

women's tournament. In 1996, he officiated the women's quarterfinals and in 1999, he officiated the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship Final. On the men's side, he oversaw the NCAA quarterfinals from 2000 to 2003 while officiating the

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

men's finals. In 2002, 2004 and 2005, he officiated the

NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate College soccer, soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the NCAA Division I, ...

. He was inducted into the NISOA Hall of Fame in 2006.

Administrator

In 1990, he was part of the establishment of the Atlanta Express of the

Sunbelt Independent Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

which later became the USISL and eventually the USL. He became a USISL administrator in 1991, the same year he joined the management of the Atlanta Magic. In 1998, he became the general manager of the

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

. In 2002, Balson was inducted into the USL Hall of Fame as a Builder.

Personal life and death

Mike was the oldest child of Donald and Joan Balson. He and his wife, Julia, had two children, Melanie and Oliver, and five grandchildren. He and his wife spent over 30 years ministering to prisoners in Atlanta, and also spent 20 years ministering to youth at Georgia Regional Hospital. After a 10-year battle, Balson died on May 30, 2019, from complications associated with Lewy Body Dementia.OBITUARY Michael John Charles Balson
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References

External links

Links to the Old Country: A Flowery Branch man has introduced his family's traditional British sausage to the US
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balson, Mike 1947 births 2019 deaths American Indoor Soccer Association players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players American soccer referees Association football defenders Atlanta Chiefs players English Football League players English footballers English expatriate footballers Exeter City F.C. players Georgia Generals players Highlands Park F.C. players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players People from Bridport Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993) players English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate soccer players in the United States