THEY say you shouldn't take your work home with you - but try telling that to Peter Holden.

The man who works as an administrator at Blackburn College by day then administrates the Red Rose Assurance Blackburn Youth League by night.

As secretary, press officer and fixture secretary of the league, Holden has his hands full, but says he has an advantage over some league secretaries.

"The job involves time more than anything else," he said.

"I work at Blackburn College as an administrator so I suppose you could say this is my forte. I don't love it, though, and it means I have to do it during work and play.

"The skills I have in my job help me to do it and at least it is not like some who can't stand administration and they still do it."

Now in his 17th year as the secretary - the league has been going for 52 years - Holden begs not to be called an 'unsung hero'.

"I was a bit embarrassed when I heard you wanted to do an article but if it means an advert for the league it's good.

"The league was set up to provide youth football for the lads in the area, particularly for those who were not getting in the schools team.

"We have Under 17s and Under 18s teams although I would like to get an Under 12s league going again."

Holden says he fell into the secretary's role because, like many who take on such tough tasks, he was in 'wrong' place at the right time.

"When it comes to the AGM someone asks for volunteers to help out and if you don't avert your eyes quickly enough you get the job.

"They were short of a secretary and I volunteered. I'd run football teams for many years but to be fixture secretary and press officer and the refs' secretary as well is a lot of work, you can't help doing a lot of work.

"Once I retire I might be able to do it in the day time which will make it easier but at the moment it is just at nights.

"I think it's a good 10 hours a week but it is more at the beginning and end of the season.

"It gets to about 20 hours a week then. That's half a week's work.

"When you have got all the cup games to get in you're on the go all the time. You are just praying you get the season over with.

"This season has been poor in that respect, we didn't finish the season until May 12, two weeks late.

"But last year was worse. It was horrendous in terms of matches cancelled because of waterlogged pitches, they didn't seem to want to dry up.

"And then everyone gets frustrated. And if the lads can't play they end up saying 'I'm not turning up for this every week, there's no point'.

"It's very difficult, but the league is only here to help the managers to get through because they are the ones that do all the work with the lads.

"They are most important of all, we just provide the framework.

"My job is to make it all work, to link everything together and it is important to have someone who is available to do that.

"I'm not an unsung hero, don't say that, it's embarrassing."

Not content with running two age groups, Peter would like to set up a league for younger players.

"I would really like to get an Under 12s league going again and then gets leagues feeding all the way through to the Under 18s.

"A lot of our teams don't have Under 12s teams because they can't get the managers.

"There are oodles of kids, they love football but we need managers.

"The Blackburn and District league go to Under 11s and I have asked where they'll go when they leave this year so I might get some of them.

"We first did an Under 12s four years ago because we merged with another league whose secretary, Bernard Calvert, had died while refereeing one of our matches. We took over their Under 12s and had a great response for three or four years but I feel I've let him down and I'd like to get it going again for him really."

Despite the hassle involved, Peter loves the job at times.

"When we had our 50th anniversary we had a competition on Pleckgate and it was full of players from Under 12s to Under 18s and it's a great feeling to know that you've been involved in making that happen. You can see by the little faces of the young ones and the hairy faces of the older ones they do enjoy football and gives you a buzz.

"I do it because someone did it for me when I was young.

"But there are people who have been involved longer than me. Eddie Hart, the Treasurer, he really is an unsung hero, he does the cricket league as well.

"Maybe you should have picked him as your unsung hero!"