FEATURE | BURNING DESIRE

Former Southern League man making history

It will be a proud moment for former Southern League winger, Sam Allison, over the festive period when he becomes the first black match official in the FA Premier League for 15 years.

After being part of the youth ranks at Swindon Town, his playing career brought him into the Southern League where he spent over a decade turning out for the likes of Clevedon Town, Bath City, Paulton Rovers, Salisbury City, Chippenham Town and Frome Town.

It was during his days at Chippenham, where he made the majority of his appearances, that he started to consider going down the refereeing route, although it was something of a ‘slow burner’ for the firefighter.

“I was starting to think of what I could do next in the game,” recalled Allison. “We had a secretary at Chippenham who was a refereeing coach and he tried to encourage me to be a referee.

“At that moment, it wasn’t the right time for me, but the thought stayed with me and it was about six or seven years later when I decided I might give it a go to be able to stay in the game for longer.

“He kept his promise to mentor me and it soon became infectious. What I realised almost straight away was just how much, as a player, you don’t know – the ins and outs of the rules – and I think it’s something that more semi-pro footballers should look at doing.

“If they did that then you wouldn’t be left saying ‘why have they made that decision?’ so much.

“It’s inevitable that having played at a decent standard, you can use that football intelligence to identify foul challenges, people’s intent, movement, anticipate play and look at trigger pass and people’s body movement and shape, and understanding phases of play. It just gives you that head start, I believe.”

First taking up the whistle in 2011, Allison progressed up through the levels, including officiating here in the Southern League, and in 2020 he surpassed the level that he reached as a player by making his Football League debut.

“The support mechanisms – PGMOL, FA, the coaches, the mentors – have been exceptional on my journey,” he continued. “I feel very lucky and very privileged to be given those opportunities.

“We’re all on the same path in order to make change. For me, it’s about trying to make a difference in society and giving something back. That’s one of my biggest goals in being successful as a match official.

“I love football so much; it’s in my blood and it’s innate. I’d do anything to be involved in the game. Unfortunately, I didn’t reach the pinnacles as a football player but I have reached levels as a referee that I could only dream about.”

There will be a lot of people associated to the Pitching In Southern League who will be bursting with pride on Boxing Day when Sam takes charge of Sheffield United’s clash with Luton Town.