In Memory of Oliver King

This page is dedicated to the memory, and to celebrate the life, of Oliver King who tragically was taken away from us and his loving family at the tender age of twelve on 2nd March 2011. We will always remember Ollie and our thoughts will never be far away from his parents Mark and Joanne and his brother Ben. The page is a work in progress and contributions, including photographs, comments and details of his life, both with and away from Diamonds, are welcome from all who knew Ollie.

Ollie & The Diamonds

Oliver was one of the original 'Diamonds' when the team first started around 2004 when the boys were 4/5. He was a determined and competitive player and liked nothing better than to bomb forward but without forgetting his defensive duties. He seemed to have boundless energy and had no difficulty getting from end to end quickly in an attempt to assist the forwards and then dash back to help the defence. He loved taking corners and free kicks and scored from both numerous times over the years. Although he played with a smile on his face he never liked opponents to get the better of him (which didn't happen too often) and they would feel the force of his strong tackling. Oliver enjoyed trial periods with both Everton and Liverpool but was released by each of them although both professional clubs have been known to make errors of judgement. He was an integral member of an extremely successful and high quality Diamonds team and, based on his consistent performances, it is hard to believe that he was in fact playing a year above his correct age group. He will always be remembered by his team mates and everyone associated with Diamonds. Diamonds will never quite be the same without you Ollie.

Message from Lol & Family

I have known Oliver since he first came training at camp Hill and even at the young age of 4 was amazed at his determination and competitive spirit. He was a cracking player and one of the loveliest lads that you could ever meet - always a smile on his face and always having a joke. Even when taking throw ins he would start laughing when told to steal a couple of yards before throwing the ball to a team mate. Oliver was popular with all of his team mates and also with the parents of the Diamonds. I have great memories of watching him and the Diamonds win countless trophies over the years and also of him entering the Bullring in France and coming out a lot quicker than he went in! My funniest memory of Oliver was on a warm summer evening training at camp Hill and I was over there with our dog Fergus and when I let him off the lead the dog decided that he would like to make friends with someone and focused on Oliver. I always knew that Oliver possessed a fair bit of pace on the football field but my god I have never seen him move as fast as he did that night with Fergus trying to catch a piggyback ride on Oliver’s back. I swear that there was smoke coming from Oliver’s boots as he tried to shake the dog off. Afterwards there were a few little marks on his back but when he got his wind back he realised that the dog was only trying to play with him. Every time he saw the dog with me after that he was always a bit wary of him and kept his distance with the odd quick glance just to make sure I still had him on the lead. In summing up it was always a pleasure to see Oliver with his smiling face and lovely manner when speaking to him. Although Oliver’s life was so tragically cut short Mark & Joanne should be so proud to have brought up such a lovely, happy and genuine young man who touched so many people during his short lifetime. Myself, Marion, Michael & Hannah I am sure will never forget him and he will forever be a major part of the Woolton Diamonds family. Rest in Peace Oliver - forever in our hearts. Lol, Marion, Michael & Hannah

Message from Paul Burke & Family

YOU CAN SHED TEARS THAT HE IS GONE
OR YOU CAN SMILE BECAUSE HE HAS LIVED

YOU CAN CLOSE YOUR EYES AND PRAY THAT HE WILL COME BACK
OR YOU CAN OPEN YOUR EYES AND SEE ALL THAT HE HAS LEFT

YOUR HEART CAN BE EMPTY BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SEE HIM
OR YOU CAN BE FULL OF THE GOOD TIMES YOU SHARED

YOU CAN TURN YOUR BACK ON TOMORROW AND LIVE YESTERDAY
OR YOU CAN BE HAPPY FOR TOMORROW BECAUSE OF YESTERDAY

YOU CAN REMEMBER OLLIE AND ONLY THAT HE'S GONE
OR YOU CAN CHERISH HIS MEMORY AND LET IT LIVE ON

YOU CAN CRY, CLOSE YOUR MIND, BE EMPTY AND TURN YOUR BACK
OR YOU CAN DO WHAT HE'D WANT;

SMILE, OPEN YOUR EYES, LOVE LIFE AND GO ON.

Message from the Davies family

We first met Ollie and his family when he was four years old and he went on to play right back for Woolton Diamonds. What a player he was.

I can see him now running down the right hand side with one arm up and ready to kick the ball with his right foot and ready to tackle anyone that came in his way. He would also have a good throw in or score a cracker from a corner - there was no stopping him.

Ollie you were a very special boy who loved playing football and always had a cheeky smile on your face and had a lovely personality.

Rest in Peace Ollie. You will always be loved and missed and never forgotten by any of us.

Love Sharon, Paul, Kyle and Jenna xxx