PembrokeshireSport.co.uk is greatly saddened to report the death at too young an age of former Pembrokeshire League Football Secretary Brian Hawkins – and we have asked long-time footballing administration friends Mickie Phillips and Trevor Morgans to pay a tribute to his work in football.
 
Brian was an absolute stalwart of the Pembrokeshire Football League having been initially appointed as Secretary of the league for the 2005/06 season and finally relinquishing the role half way through the 2022/23 season due to ill health.
 
He was made a Life Vice President of the League in 2015 in recognition of his yeoman work, and he enjoyed an excellent working relationship with all clubs and fellow league councillors.”
 
Ace administrator – and excellent referee
 
He was particularly close to the other three working officers of the league; namely Phil Devonald, Trevor Morgans and Micky Phillips, who between the four of them managed the day-to-day running of the league.
 
Prior to him accepting the role of Secretary he had enjoyed a very successful career as a referee, having been one of the few local referees to have made it as far as the Welsh Premier League middle. Locally, he refereed all the senior finals with the highlight being the Senior Cup final in 1997/98 between Narberth and Saundersfoot Sports.
 
He also became well known in Pembrokeshire cricketing circles, often being the face of league sponsor Thomas Carroll at cup finals and cricket dinners.
 











 
High praise from other stalwarts in Micky . . .
 
Micky Phillips, who acted as Assistant Secretary/Treasurer for all of Brian’s tenure, commented, “During my 20 years as a league official I was so fortunate to have Brian as the Secretary of the League. We worked incredibly well together and spent numerous hours on the phone talking about the issues that arose in the League. He was always fair and honest, and he followed the rule book to the letter which resulted with him sometimes having to make unpopular decisions. However, he had such a rapport with the clubs that these decisions were always accepted. He became a great friend, and he will be sorely missed”.










 
. . . And Trefor
 
Trevor Morgans, one of the League’s longest-serving members added,  “ I was fortunate to serve on the West Wales Football Association with Brian, his experience was a great help to me when I first joined the committee. On our trips to the Swansea meetings, conversations ranged from Pembrokeshire football to Liverpool and Swansea City, making the journeys much more enjoyable. Brian stepped down last season due to his health so sadly never became Chairman of the Association”.  








 
Gordon Thomas, the co-owner of PembrokeshireSport.co.uk added,
 
“In my previous role as a sports editor I always found him to be straight down the line, as honest as any official I have come across.
 
“Brian Hawkins was a one-off; someone who not only loved his sport but was ready to devote a lot of his spare time to it in his role as Hon Secretary for so long.
 
“He was never afraid to stand up for decisions made and he had that approach where rules were rules and he would apply them honestly and openly, sometimes having to face flak but standing up for fair play, despite sometimes unfair criticism. I counted him as a friend and my thoughts go out to his family at this awful time.”


 
And a final word from Bill Carne . . .

“On a personal note, I first met Brian Hawkins 42 years ago when the head teacher at Milford Central School brought a young feller into my office and said that this was Brian Hawkins, who had moved to Milford Haven from the Mountain Ash area of Mid Glamorgan.
 
“I was soon impressed by his good manners, willingness to learn and, above all else, like me he shared a love of sport.
 
“We kept in touch during the rest of those early years in his new home and I was delighted that he took up refereeing, where he used that quiet determination that was part of his make-up, to go to the best level of Welsh Football at the time.
 
“It was the same when he became League Secretary, where there was a big pair of shoes to fill in Eddie Oliver and fill them, he did, in his own way and with great success.
 
“From conversations I had with him in recent months I knew he was very ill but was absolutely gutted when I heard he had passed away earlier this week – because he was a gentleman of sport and of life that I was proud to know for so long.
 
“Brian leaves behind his wife Tracy and daughter Hannah, who he thought the world of, and ‘Pembrokeshire Sport.co.uk’ passes on our condolences to the two of them. He will be missed greatly by a lot of people in Pembrokeshire sporting circles and one of them is definitely me!”

Rest in peace buddie!