Darryl Flynn-Thompson began his basketball career through the Canterbury Basketball Association (CBA), namely with the Hotshots basketball club, where he was a player and then president for 10 years. His administrative talents with well-utilised by CBA, where he was a Board Member for 28 years and Vice-president for eight years, and on CBA’s Competition Committee for 20 years.
Flynn-Thompson was also a committee member for the Canterbury Basketball Official’s Association for 18 years and President for 12 years. He was also on the New Zealand Basketball Foundation’s Board in the 1990’s.
In 2003 Flynn-Thompson was made a Life member of CBOA in 2003, and then the following year was honoured with another life membership, this time with the CBA.
Flynn-Thompson’s volunteerism extended from the office, on to the court, where he started refereeing in 1974 and is still doing so today. In 2009, Flynn-Thompson was a World Masters Games’ referee in Sydney, a regular referee at National Tournaments since the late 1980’s, and he also referees for wheelchair basketball. All this experience is often tapped into by up and comers, in his role as ref-educator and mentor for young referees. If that isn’t enough, he is said to also ensure these young referees are fed and watered, usually by digging into his own pockets to buy food and drinks for the referees every weekend.
