Ask anyone who has been around the WRFL football fields long enough and no doubt they would have had the pleasure of bumping into long time Albion trainer Allan “Titch” Williams.
Commonly seen at JR Parsons Reserve three times a week, you’re bound to find Titch in the change rooms, strapping and rubbing down players before training and on game days. But it’s not just the seniors which Titch loves, but also the future of football in the west, chalking up 416 games with the juniors and a dozen more in the interleague carnivals.
One of the original men to help form the club in 1961, Titch has seen it all, experiencing both the highs and lows of local football in the FDFL and now WRFL. A Life Member of both the Albion Football Club and League, there is not many accolades Titch hasn’t received, with the council’s Citizenship of the Year award, Queen’s Award, Personality of the Year, Best Clubman, and the Australian Government’s Australian Sports Award just to name a few.
On the eve of his milestone match, WRFL Media Manager Kirstie Fitzgerald caught up with Titch to discuss the past, the present and the future for this longtime Albion stalwart.
How do you feel about reaching your milestone game?
It’s just another game of football for me. It’s funny to think that I will chalk it up against Sunshine being our local neighbourhood rivals and the fact that we started out from the Sunshine of the old days. But I don’t want any fanfare. For every person who has does something at the club, whether it’s big or small, there are a lot of others who don’t get recognized so for me it’s just another day.
Why do you love being involved in local football?
I think the reason I like local football is because you are putting something back into the community, even though it’s only into football itself, not in the general public. But I like the fact that you can walk down the street and you see somebody that you have had associations with 10 years ago, 20 years ago and you can talk about the old times. There is so much you can do in your club as a volunteer, so for me its training and I just love it.
With a lot of players and coaches moving from club to club at all levels of football, what has made you remain at Albion all these years?
Well because I helped form it, so the loyalty is there. Besides the fact that I lived locally, I went down to Albion because a few guys from my work played there and so I went over to watch them and then that’s how I got across. One time they were playing at home and someone got hurt and then this bloke said to me can you please help get him off and I had a look at him and helped him off and then the rest is history. It’s like part of your family, the navy and white runs through the blood and is just another extension of life.
How did you get the nickname Titch?
Only the close people who know me well know my real name is Allan, because everybody knows me as Titch. Even all of my certificates and awards from the club, the government you name it, they all have the words Allan “Titch” Williams on it. The funny thing is that I have no idea who started it, because I’ve had it since I was at school, so I don’t really know who it was exactly, but my dad (Harry Williams) was called Titch as a nickname so whether that all started with some of his work mates and then has fallen down to me I don’t know, but it’s seemed to carry on because they now call my son Titch too so it’s down the generations, but not my grandson just yet-he has to earn the name first.
Plans for the future?
Well my plans are to be at Albion for as long as they’ll have me. I’ve got no intention of going anywhere, no way what so ever.
Last Modified on 11/08/2014 10:42