Westhill resident Stuart Marlow has been nominated for a top Scottish Football Association award for his longstanding commitment to grassroots football.  This award would be a fantastic accolade not just for Stuart but for his team and for the whole of the amateur football movement throughout Aberdeenshire. You can read about Stuart  and vote for him here. He is up against two other nominees from Ayrshire and East Fife, so let’s hear it for Westhill and Aberdeenshire!

The Scottish FA website says:

“Stuart has been involved with Halliburton AFC for 37 years. He originally went along to help out for one match when the club was short of players, and eventually made over 1300 appearances for the club from 1977-2012.
 
The former player and manager of the club is involved with everything from washing kits to lining the pitch to organising fundraisers, and didn’t miss a single game following heart surgery earlier this year.
 
Stuart was made captain of the team from 1986 until 1991 when he took over the player/manager role, and continued his playing career until 2012. He has played and worked with over 200 players,
 
In his first season in charge, he led the side to their first ever trophy, winning the Stephen Shield, and at the end of season 1991/92 he was awarded the Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association Medal for Services to amateur football.
 
At the start of season 2007 Stuart negotiated the use of a pitch at the Lawsondale complex in Westhill. As the seasons have progressed he has continued to move the club forward, in terms of training facilities, sponsorship and fund raising.
 
He has been instrumental in securing much-needed sponsorship from a number of local businesses over the years and has single-handedly arranged an annual fundraising dinner for the last 14 seasons.
 
As well as washing kits, taking care of admin and keeping an eye on the purse strings, Stuart has also added the job of match reporter.

A heart operation in April of this year did not stop him from attending the next match, but he did concede that if the side were short of numbers, he may not be able to help out that week.”