Spen Allison

IT was probably the proudest moment in his rugby league life.

Every year the All-Party Parliamentary Rugby League Committee hold a prestigious dinner in the House of Lords. And it was here that York's Spen Allison, the chairman of the British Amateur Rugby League Association, received the Committee's merit award - becoming the first man from the amateur sector to win the accolade in its 17-year history.

"Every year the All-Party Parliamentary group make a presentation to someone they think has contributed to rugby league, and this year I was fortunate to win it," explained Allison, who this year celebrates a half-century of work behind the scenes in grassroots sport.

"I didn't know anything about it. The All-Party secretary, Neil Turner, was reading this citation and I thought to myself, I can't think who he is talking about'.

"I was gob-smacked when he said, The gentleman is with us tonight and I'd like to ask Spen Allison to come up and collect his award."

He continued: "I got up and mumbled a couple of lines, and I choked up. I was very proud but, like I said then, I accepted it on behalf of the amateur game, of all the thousands of volunteers who participate in our game. One of the highest honours I've had was to get life membership of BARLA, but this overshadows that."

He added: "They presented the award and I dropped it - obviously that raised a titter. That's typical,' they said, Spen's knocked-on again'."

It has been a long time since Allison actually played the game, an injury while playing for York's old Southlands team having forced him to hang up his boots in 1958.

"Nobody wants to go to committee meetings but I started going to York and District RL meetings as the Southlands representative, got co-opted onto the committee and it went from there," he said.

Since then, the 68-year-old has held countless positions on various sporting bodies, mostly in his first love of rugby league. He has been BARLA chairman since June 2005, on that executive for seven years, including one as vice-chairman, and has been the BARLA open age delegate on the Rugby Football League (RFL) council.

He is a life member of the Yorkshire League, and has been team manager of BARLA's Yorkshire squad, and of the York Ironsides at the York 9s.

He is also chairman of Yorkshire RL at county level and secretary for York Acorn ARLC, and has been York and District RL Association secretary since 1979 and treasurer since 1980.

On top of that, he has been chairman of the York Sports Federation, formerly the York and District Sports Council, and a governor of the Yorkshire and Humberside Sports Aid committee. A retired painter and decorator, he is also secretary of Scarcroft Bowls Club.

He is proud of the achievements BARLA have made under his chairmanship, such as cutting association fees, and ploughing thousands of pounds back into the game thanks to "good housekeeping".

There is much to be done, though, and currently top of Allison's agenda is to win greater recognition for BARLA from the RFL, not least in the amateur international arena.

BARLA have run a Great Britain side for decades, but the RFL now have their own, known as the Community Lions, which incorporates players from all walks of the amateur game - including students, the Armed Forces and the summer conference - rather than just the traditional BARLA- affiliated clubs. Ex-professionals are also eligible, unlike with BARLA's strict amateur ethos.

It is this side, not BARLA, who have been asked to take part in a secondary tournament at the Rugby League World Cup in Australia later this year.

"The first two years of my chairmanship were good. We changed a few of the things I wanted to change. But we've not yet got the Community Lions issue changed. I'm not opposed to the Community Lions, but it should not disregard BARLA. For over 30 years, BARLA have taken the game around the world, all at the players' own expense, and we have a lot of friends around the globe.

"All the Community Lions have is a home and away match against France every year, but that's not the same as going to New Zealand or Papua New Guinea or South Africa. We went to South Africa recently and were involved in getting the sport played over there.

"I don't think it's right that the Community Lions will be getting a paid-up trip to the World Cup when BARLA have been omitted from the celebrations. It's like we've been ostracised."

He added: "I remember in the 1950s when rugby league was dead on its feet and it was only after the formation of BARLA that it took off. We currently have about 1,500 teams, and in the '50s there were about 50."

BARLA also still governs the strongest amateur competitions, as shown in the Community Lions' latest squad when 21 of the 22 players came from BARLA clubs.

Allison added: "To me, the Community Lions is just duplicating what we're doing. The RFL said BARLA didn't embrace the student game or the Armed Forces, but that's not strictly true."

He added: "It's a controversial issue. I just think BARLA deserve more credit for what they've done over the years."

Another controversial issue during Allison 's tenure was the unification of BARLA with the RFL. The two bodies had a history of disagreement.

"There are a lot of people who questioned why we agreed to it," said Allison. "Everything has good and bad points and, while it would be remiss of me to say there hasn't been any bad points, I think the good points outweigh them."

One is the fact the RFL get Government funding and BARLA otherwise would not (only one governing body in each sport is awarded such funding). Plus the fact the RFL has full-time staff means they can organise successful tournaments like the massive Powergen Schools competition.

Allison has another 18 months of his second term in office remaining, and after that believes he will call it a day. "I'm 69 this year and even though the mind might be willing, the body maybe isn't. It's strictly voluntary, but I do a minimum on average of 40 hours a week. It takes its toll. The position might need somebody a bit younger. Maybe I'm a bit set in my ways and a younger person might see things differently."

It is a modest comment from a man who for half a century has done so much for the game.