His friends and colleagues paid warm tribute to him on Sunday September 29 on the anniversary of his funeral by officially renaming the community room of Grandpont Pavilion on Whitehouse Road the Jim Smith Suite.
Champagne corks popped and speeches were heard in a poignant ceremony. A plaque and photograph are to be installed in Jim’s honour.
Notable attendees included Bob Price, former councillor, Anna Brewer, the current chair, Max Tucker, long serving treasurer, and former secretaries David Macdonald and Mick Conmy. Also present was Helen Barry, his partner, who helped arrange the event, plus a number of youth team managers.
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Jim Smith was directly responsible for the creation of the same building. He lobbied then negotiated with Oxford City Council and the Oxfordshire Football Association to have Grandpont Pavilion built, and it opened in 2016.
Just before the pavilion got planning permission in 2013, he said: “It’s fantastic news. We’ve been waiting a long time for this, and it’s now at a stage where we believe and hope the committee will approve it on the night.
“The club’s been going for almost ten years and we have had no facilities at the rec at all. We have been lobbying the city council for the past four years saying that we desperately need a home.”
Under his tenure, the club doubled in size with up to 20 youth teams competing in the Oxford Mail Leagues. Jim’s football philosophy was inclusivity and participation, and he insisted on these values underpinning all the teams playing in the red and black of Hinkey Park FC. This philosophy remains. HPFC has girls and boys aged under 5s up to under 18s and has welcomed many refugee children over the years.
Jim was enormously popular in many different spheres; he was a keen cyclist and loyal Arsenal fan. There was a huge turnout at his funeral last year, the send-off event upstairs of the then White House pub on Abingdon Road was brim full of laughter and memories of Jim.
He was somewhat of a bon viveur, proud of his Italian heritage, insisting on riding Bianchi bicycles, preferring Moretti beer and generally ate pasta. Many fondly remember his signature explosive laughter. The same focussed energy he demonstrated in his pastimes he also showed in his career where he did much fine work with homeless charities and the social housing sector.
Jim’s two sons Felix and Lucas, both of whom now live outside Oxford will be very proud to see the memory of their father when they next visit the Jim Smith Suite.