RIP Alan Spike
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It is with great sadness that we report the sad passing of former league official, club official and widely respected referee, Alan Spike, following a period of illness.
Alan’s involvement in local football goes back many decades, beginning with his well known passion for West Ham United, a club he supported all of his life.
We can recall fondly his years of involvement as a player, manager and secretary of Saturday clubs in east London, notably Gooseley Athletic and Denmark, clubs who were around in the Ilford & District Football League days for many years. Alan was a tough competitor on the field and you knew you were in for a tough match whenever you faced his sides.
At the end of his playing and managing career, Alan took to the refereeing circuit, putting those years of experience of the game to good use with the whistle and became a well regarded match official, respected for his common sense approach to refereeing.
More latterly, Alan became the first Referees Secretary of the Essex Alliance League upon the formation of the competition, a role which he held for a number of seasons while continuing on the referees panel. Such was his popularity as a referee, he often featured towards the very top of the annual rankings but, of course, he never wished to award himself the trophy!
He continued to serve the game by assisting the Ilford & District Churches League with referee appointments, working alongside many of his close friends and referee colleagues who he formed a close bond with through the years.
The league wishes to offer it’s sincerest condolences to all of Alan’s family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.
We kindly ask all clubs to conduct a minute’s silence at upcoming fixtures to remember and reflect on Alan’s contributions to grassroots football.