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Keith plays a key role in Pembrokeshire Football
The end of the football season just started will mark a real milestone for one of the nicest, modest and hard-working football administrators in Pembrokeshire because at that time Keith Scourfield will have completed 25 years as the Hon Treasurer of the Manderwood Pembrokeshire Association Football League.
He has just completed an unusual double because as well as looking after the league’s cash he was also chairman for three seasons before recently handing over the reins to old Narberth pal Colin Williams – and now doubles up again because he has been honoured with the presidency for the next three years, taking over from another long-standing friend in Eddie Oliver.
Keith started out in football as a hard-tackling left-sided player with Manorbier and then Narberth before he was elected Hon Treasurer for a short time from 1971 to 1973, when he took over from Joe Vernon of Pembroke Dock. But the league was short of referees and so he qualified as a ref and enjoyed 12 very happy years with the whistle which culminated in his being chosen to officiate at the Senior Cup Final before returning to the Management Committee in 1985 as the Hon Treasurer for this second, and much longer, spell in charge of the league’s finances.
It’s surely a record gate!
His busy periods are at the start of each new campaign, when he collects in all the entry and registration fees and other outstanding bills from clubs, and the end of each season where he attends all the cup finals, helps to collect the ‘gate’ money and pay it into the League’s account. He has a great rapport with clubs and the local press, whom he often regales with a typically beaming smile and comment of ‘Record Gate’!
He started out as a player with Manorbier as a left half (that’s left side of midfield to you youngsters!) using his natural left foot to good effect. When he married Janet in 1963 the couple moved to Narberth and he started playing there for the local team which included real characters like Ralph Phillips. Keith and Janet have two children in Melanie (44) and David (42), who is a confirmed Swansea City fan, and Janet still supports him well with his football duties after all these years.
Narberth reached the Senior Cup Final soon after he joined them and Keith played in the final, played at Marble Hall, against HMS Goldcrest, a forces’ team that included Neil Jones, who went on to do so much good work in the area when he left the forces. Keith still maintains that the penalty he conceded was a little harsh because his tackle took the ball first – but there were no action replays in those days and Narberth were very disappointed to lose!
He continued playing until he was 33 when another mistimed tackle caused a certain referee to ask,
“Why don’t you retire gracefully?”
And Keith decided the ref was right – and hung up his playing boots!
Taking up the whistle
He attended a course where Alec Robson was a great help and he joined good referees like Robert Lewis (Pendine), Dai Rees (Haverfordwest) and Dai Phillips (Kilgetty) in starting out as officials alongside real characters like Dennis Warlow, Danny Thomas, Don Maclean-Walker and Eddie Oliver, with whom he worked so long as officers of the Pembrokeshire Association Football League.
His selection as referee for the Senior Cup Final came in the 1980/81 season, when Monkton Swifts comfortably beat Goodwick United as his linesmen were Pedr McMullen and Alun Rees, and Dave Dickenson played well for the Swifts. It wasn’t like today, however, when all the refs met up and enjoyed an evening together afterwards – it was much lower key as the trio had a cup of tea afterwards and went off a little later. But he will never forget the day and remains one of the highlights of his involvement with football, as was the occasion where he officiated at the Wiltshire Cup Final, held in Narberth, and St Clears beat Johnston after a replay.
Ask Keith about the players involved when he was in the middle and he would say that in general they were more respectful and there was some humour from supporters – but there were players who needed watching back in those days, and some crowds which were quick to tell the man in black where he was going wrong in their view!
He finally stepped down in 1985 and almost immediately returned to the Hon Treasurer’s job on the League management committee, where there are now more teams, especially with regard to junior football, sponsorship and the need to run the league in a business-like fashion. He would say that there is a camaraderie amongst the committee and has been lucky to work alongside Eddie Oliver and more recently with Brian Hawkins as outstanding Hon Secretaries.
Keith wanted to put something back into the game he loves
He would say that all he has ever wanted as an official was to put something back into a game which had been very good to him and being honoured with the presidency was not something that he expected. He has always regarded himself as a ‘back-room boy’ who just got on with things, but he is determined to enjoy the period now that he has recovered from a bout of illness and is more or less ready to watch some football again.
It seems the appreciation is mutual because both Eddie and Brian hold Keith in high regard. Brian said of his Hon Treasurer,
“Keith Scourfield has been a tremendous servant of Pembrokeshire Football and a really nice man as well. He is a top man.”
PembrokeshireSport.co.uk could pay Keith no higher compliment – and we fully agree with Brian’s assessment of Mr Scourfield, the ‘Record Gate’ treasurer of the Mandwerwood Pembrokeshire Association Football League!
