AFC Totton
As many people will be aware former AFC Totton chairman and ‘local legend’ Alf Peckham passed away on Sunday morning aged 85.
Until very recently, Alf was a familiar figure at the Testwood Stadium where he loved watching his beloved Stags. Alf was also a club trustee for many years and he played a big part in overseeing the clubs move from Testwood Park to the Testwood Stadium.
Alf’s passion was football, he loved his local football and he wanted to see it thrive. It was Alf who was the driving force behind the birth of the Wessex League in the 1980’s.
Those who have come across Alf down the years will have found out that he was a straight talker. Alf said it how he saw it and when it came to football you would have done well to have listened to what he had to say, because he was normally right. He was never rude, but he just knew how to get his point across.
Close friend of Alf and fellow AFC Totton trustee Bryn Bratcher, told us about some things that many would be unaware of about Alf and his life in football. Alf began his love affair with the beautiful game by playing for Millbrook in the Southampton Senior League and he went on to play right back for Winchester City in the Hampshire League.
Alf went on to manage ‘Totton old boys’ in the New Forest League Division 2. The old boys merged with Testwood United after reaching the Southampton Senior League Division 2 and the players decided to rename the side Totton Athletic, they were managed by Alf Peckham.
Brynn became acquainted with Alf during this period and he soon learned that Alf was very persuasive when he asked him to join his side.
In the mid 1970’s a merger took place between Totton FC and Totton Athletic. Totton FC played at Testwood Park but had no money, whilst Totton Athletic had a little bit of money but were playing at the home of Winchester, so the merger made sense.
Alf played a big part in the merger and he became Vice chairman of the newly formed AFC Totton whilst a gentleman by the name of Reg Gain was the chairman.
Alf left the club after a while, but he was later persuaded to come back, but this time as chairman and he held this post for about 10 years, Brynn recalls.
Brynn said Alf was amazing, he worked behind the bar every other Tuesday and he did “all sorts as we all did at that time, including the players”.
Brynn also recalled the time when Alf was championing the idea of a ‘Wessex League’, Brynn said ‘ Alf used to say to us that we should start a league with teams from Dorset, Wiltshire, Sussex and the IOW joining forces’ Alf of course saw his dream come to fruition when the Wessex League was launched in 1986.
Alf became chairman of the Wessex League and as a result he used to ‘do the rounds’ by watching all of the different clubs. Brynn said that Alf was loyal to the league and felt that it was his duty to watch the other clubs as much as he could.
Brynn said that Alf told him that AFC Totton would always be his first love.
Brynn paid a moving tribute to Alf Peckham and it came from the heart. Brynn said “I knew Alf for many years. I played under him, I worked alongside him on the committee at AFC Totton and I can honestly say that he was a true gentleman. He may have upset the odd person here and there with what he had to say, but he was never nasty”.
I would go as far as to say that he was like a 2nd father to me. When I was young I could talk to him about things that many people would find difficult to talk to their own fathers about. He was a really great bloke, he really was.
A minutes silence will be held before this Saturday’s home game against Burnham FC.
