The football reins are in good hands with Brian Hawkins

If there is a sporting administrator who gives up more time to his chosen sport than Brian Hawkins then this web site has yet to meet him because Brian Hawkins spends a couple of hours most evenings on his role as Hon Secretary of the Brains Beers Pembrokeshire Football League.
Brian is kept busy since his roles include the general admin of the league, such as calling the monthly meetings at either County Hall, Queen’s Hall, Narberth or the British Legion Club in Milford Haven, taking the minutes and making sure that they go out to the clubs and officials with the fixtures and referees’ appointments for the next round of matches, which he also compiles. That takes up most evenings in the week and then on Saturday he takes in all the scores, collates the league positions, sends out the information by e-mail to all the interested parties like newspapers, and up-dates the league’s web site. Then there’s the checking of all the team sheets and dealing with disciplinary matters that should arise, setting in motion the wheels for an aspect of his chosen sport which he finds the most unpleasant.
Not content with that little lot, Brian also sits on the West Wales Council, often having to travel to meeting in Swansea since he serves on the Disciplinary and Coaching Development Sub Committees.

Pretty ordinary footballer

In all this he shows the determination that has been part of his make-up since he got involved as “a pretty ordinary footballer” (his words!) at Carnetown in the Rhondda Valley and then when he moved to Pembrokeshire played for the reserve teams at both Milford United and Haverfordwest County, playing at either centre forward or full back. But he really enjoyed playing and wishes today’s players would share that sense of good fun just being involved, rather than trying to win at all costs.
His playing career came to an abrupt halt, however, when his older brother Robert took over the management of Haverfordwest County reserves and stopped picking young Brian for the team! It was at this time that Brian took up refereeing with the help of Pedr McMullen and Eddie Oliver, learning a great deal from real characters like Pedr, Danny Thomas, Shinner Cook, the late Dai Griffiths and Chris Howlett, plus Dai Rees and Dennis Warlow.

A refereeing set-back …

That was in 1991 and he started alongside Phil Gale, Selwyn Jenkins and Dave Haworth but there was to be no immediate success because he wasn’t promoted and was told by Swansea-based assessor Reg John that he would never make the grade. But Brian is made of stern stuff and within two seasons Reg was singing his praises as he jetted to Grade ‘A’ and within two seasons was officiating in the Welsh League.
He was honoured with taking charge of the 1997/98 Senior Cup Final, where Narberth beat Saundersfoot with an extra time own goal that saw them through, and he could claim to one of the youngest refs to take charge because he was 29 then. Another highlight was the West Wales Intermediate Cup Final at the Vetch Field, Swansea, where West End beat Manselton United by 1-0 and as well as these two top finals, Brian also reffed at all the other Pembrokeshire cup finals, including the last Jubilee Cup Final, and some of the junior finals.

… Officiating at the top level

Although Brian is always quick to play down his achievements he could rightly claim to be the only Pembrokeshire referee so far to have been regularly involved in the Welsh Premier League, being involved at this top level for a Welsh ref from 2003 to 2005. It inevitable meant a great deal of travel because he not only went across the whole of South Wales to venues like Carmarthen, Llanelli, Port Talbot and Cwmbran but into Mid Wales and on to Portmadoc and Caernarfon. It was on his way back from one such trek that he and his assistants were rerouted following a car crash and forced to drive along some hair-raisingly narrow roads that were akin to the Swiss Alps, snow and all, before getting back onto the main road!
If Brian was given a midweek match it often meant getting back home from Welshpool, Newtown or Caersws in the early hours and he eventually decided that enough was enough and, although he was really enjoying his time in the middle, decided to call it a day.

Stepping down – and stepping up

But then the Hon Secretary’s job came up and he took over from Eric Cheetham, of Johnston – and has been heavily involved ever since in the local game. Brian would be the first to admit that he is lucky in having the full support of wife Tracy, who is not a football fan, and daughter Hannah, who loves all sports.
“Without them,” says Brian, “I couldn’t do the job.”
The major problems for Brian occur when there is bad weather, obviously, but rearranged or replayed West Wales Cup matches or Saturdays lost to Welsh international fixtures make more work for him. It means he has to rearrange matches from then on in the season but he takes it all in his stride as he works alongside Keith Scourfield, who is doubling up as treasurer and chairman at the moment, Phil Devonald, Trevor Morgans and Eddie Oliver, who is the top man when it comes to knowing about the league’s rules.
Ask Brian how long he intends carrying on and he just shrugs his shoulders and says, “Until someone else is happy to step in and I can step down.”
This is typical of Brian Hawkins approach to what he does and long may he continue to be involved in local football, in no matter what role, because he is a great ambassador for the game and a gentleman of sport! Brian took over from Eric Cheetham as Hon Secretary but the job has grown since Micky Phillips sadly stepped down from his assistant’s role.