Inducted November 3, 2007
Robert Hillier is one of our province’s greatest builders of amateur sport. He is a man of vision who sees what can be done and achieved when long term planning and organization is put into effect. As a long-time player and coach as well as an executive member of soccer in this province, Bob has been involved as a builder for almost 40 years. From 1967-1973, Bob was President of the St. John’s Commercial Softball League, one of the best senior leagues in the province. He was instrumental in negotiating with the St. John’s Lions Club to put the present Lions Club Park in place in St. John’s for softball. Bob has made a significant contribution towards the development and promotion of amateur sport, particularly soccer, in the City of Mount Pearl and the province. While serving as President of the Mount Pearl Soccer Association from 1991-1997, several major steps were taken to solidify the financial structure of the organization such as expanding the sponsorship program and establishing a year-end All-Star Weekend for metro area soccer teams. While serving as a member of the Provincial Committee of the RCAF Association from 1986-1996, the Provincial Air Cadet Sports Day was established by a committee chaired by Bob. This sports day continues today as part of the Air Cadet Program. Bob was instrumental in the development of the Mount Pearl Sport Alliance, which uses a collaborative approach for the delivery of sport in the City of Mount Pearl by providing opportunities for participation as well as maximum utilization of facilities and resources. The Province of Manitoba has adopted the Mount Pearl Sport Alliance model and the Province of New Brunswick is currently finalizing their plans for this model. In 1998, Bob chaired the Bid Committee that secured the 2000 Newfoundland and Labrador Summer Games for the City of Mount Pearl. Following that feat, he was selected to serve on the Executive and the Board of Directors for the 2000 games which was at the time the largest provincial games in the province’s history with the largest volunteer involvement. In 2000, he raised $46,000 from the corporate sector in six weeks to cover the budget commitments for the National Under 17 Boys and Girls Soccer Championships being co-hosted in St. John’s and Mount Pearl. From 2001-2004, Bob served as a member of the Mount Pearl Winter Carnival Board of Directors and set in place a sponsors package that has provided the winter carnival with $100,000 a year for two years running. At the international level, Bob chaired the Bid Committee for the 2001 International Soccer Championship. In recognition of his accomplishments, Bob has received the Executive of the Year Award from the City of Mount Pearl and is a member of the Mount Pearl Sports Hall of Fame in the “Builder” category.