‘Alison was loved and respected by many’

Mid-Solent Youth League secretary Steve Cox has led the tributes to mini-soccer champion and life vicepresident Alison Searle.

The MSL youth section stalwart passed away on Sunday aged just 55.

She was a well-known and liked figure through her years of work as MSYL mini-soccer co-ordinator and time devoted to her local club Waltham Wolves.

Alison's links with the MSYL started when handed responsibility for mini-soccer league matters in 2006 - taking sole responsibility for the under-7 through to under-10 age group sections.

Bishop Waltham-based Alison also offered her support to Waltham Wolves up until last year.

Cox became close friends with Alison through her mini-soccer work and he says she'll be sorely missed by the league and youth football as a whole across the area.

Paying tribute, Cox said: 'Alison touched the world of mini-soccer in the Mid Solent League.

‘She was organising three age groups, under-8s, under-9s and under-10s, and that involved under7s as well.

‘She was always there to help.

‘No problem was too big or too small for her and she very much read off my hymn sheet.

‘It was myself and her who devised our mini-soccer set-up, but she took it over and made it her own.

‘She was friendly, smiling, co-operative, helpful and was never a hindrance to anybody.

‘Alison was a great, great personality who was loved and respected by many.

‘She always had an open-minded approach to new clubs and teams.

She never knocked me back in anyway, always had a footballing mind, and she loved Waltham Wolves.

‘She was well known for her organisation abilities within her club and the league, one of the best quite frankly.'

Youth section clubs have been paying their respects on a memorial page set up in memory of Alison on the MSYL website.

A message left on the page by the Cowplain Youth section read: 'The world has lost a beautiful soul, Cowplain Youth will forever be grateful for how welcome you made us to the league and your never ending willingness to help.

'We will miss your smile and enthusiasm greatly at meetings and tournaments.’

Another MSYL team, AFC Eastney, also paid their tribute. A club message read: 'Alison did a very good job and it will be very hard to get someone to be as nice and efficient as she was - she will be missed by all in football. In MSYFL you hear about legends in football, she was a legend in football organisation.'

All MSYL teams will be asked to hold a minute's applause in memory of Alison with fixtures across the youth and senior sections scheduled to restart over the Easter weekend.

There are also plans to rename an MSL youth under-10s cup in her memory. - LEWIS MASON