Football says farewell to ‘local legend’ Owst
FAMILY, friends and football lovers across the region will today say farewell to ‘Mr Sunday League’ as Wally Owst is laid to rest.
Wally, the man at the forefront of grassroots football in Hull for seven decades, sadly passed away from Covid-19 and pneumonia last month at the age of 93.
General secretary of Hull Sunday League football from 1962 until 2020, Wally wasn’t just the figurehead of the league but the face of grassroots football in Hull.
The man known to everyone and liked by all who had the fortune of coming across his path on pitches or boardrooms across the region, leaves behind a lasting impact on local football.
There were accolades for his work, including the Mail’s Sporting Champions award and BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Unsung Hero Award.
Last year, he received the FA Order of Merit for 50 years’ service to grassroots football.
But the measure of the man was the popularity he had throughout amateur football.
If you didn’t come across Wally on a wet and windy pitch, he is also fondly remembered for his time managing Allsports sports shop in Ferensway in the 1970s and 80s, or his own Beta Sports shop in Beverley Road.
Wally was happily married to Molly for 63 years and the couple, who spent most of their married lives in Bransholme, had one child together. Molly died in 2016.
“Dad was unbelievably well known in this city,” explained Wally’s son Steve.
“A lot of people can still remember buying their first pair of football boots from him. He used to love
going away with National Holidays. He couldn’t go anywhere without someone on the coach or at the hotel recognising him.”
Wally’s football life began in 1953 when the then Waterloo Mills employee set up his own team, Waterloo Amateurs.
Showing the type of organisational skills and leadership even then, within five years he had been appointed assistant secretary for the Hull Sunday Football League, taking over as general secretary four years later in 1962.
Wally’s funeral will be held today at 2.45pm at Chanterlands Avenue Crematorium, west Hull. Places are heavily restricted due to Covid19 but the family has confirmed arrangements have been made to watch the service digitally.