Former Burnley FC player swaps football for religion (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Former Burnley FC player swaps football for religion

12:00pm Monday 30th January 2012 in News By Chris Gee, Reporter

A MEMBER of Clarets’ ‘team of the 70s’ youth cup winning side is set to celebrate 25 years as a church minister after swapping the penalty area for the pulpit.

Alan West, 60, joined Burnley FC in the late 1960s and went on to play 45 first team games, as well as being a key member of the 1968 team which won the FA Youth Cup against Coventry City.

He later joined Luton Town where he played more than 250 games and was later loaned to Minnesota Kicks of the North American Soccer League.

However, after Alan found religion during his playing days he decided his vocation was the church, training to be a pastor for Luton Christian Fellowship and also becoming club chaplain at Luton Town.

Alan, who grew up in Manchester, said the Clarets were his dream destination as a schoolboy.

“I turned down interest from City and United to join Burnley,” he said.

“Harry Potts was manager and Jimmy Adamson was coach and they had the reputation as the best place for youth players.

“My time at Burnley was magical, I became close friends with many of my team mates, such as Eddie Cliff and Steve Kindon and to win the youth cup with those bunch of lads was brilliant.

“We had a great time out on the town with the Mecca club our favourite haunt and I met my wife Cathie, who is a Burnley girl.

Alan has been based in Luton since his transfer there in 1973, apart from three summers in the USA when on loan there.

“I played against Pele, Beckenbauer and Georgie Best, which was particularly memorable. It was the first flush of popularity for soccer in the States.”

A spell as a non-league manager in the early 1980s ended when Alan decided to answer his religious calling.

“I come from a non-religious background and for the first 25 years of my life I hardly gave it a thought.

“But on a trip to New Zealand I began to find Christ and my faith developed from there.

“I faced five years of theological training and it was difficult for me to return to the classroom after all those years.”

Alan now leads a staff of seven and has a weekly congregation of 400 at the church.

He is also in remission after being diagnosed with a form of cancer, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, at the age of 52.

“I’ve a lot to be thankful for, a great family and my first grand daughter was born three weeks ago.

“I’ll always remember my Burnley fondly, they were my formative years and it was special to be around the club.”