THE Blackburn Combination has bid a sad farewell to its 'father figure' after former chairman, Harry Parker, past away.

Harry was chairman of the league for more than 30 years and was a friendly and familiar face down at Pleasington Playing Fields most Saturday afternoons.

He was also president of the Blackburn Sports Council but for Harry, amateur football was his real passion.

Chairman of the league for an astonishing 31 years -- the second longest serving chairman in its 101 year history -- Harry took great pride in seeing the league through its centenary year.

A cruciate knee ligament injury meant he never played in the Combination but he was a loyal servant as a committee man, chairman and probably most importantly, a real fan.

A point underlined perfectly by the fact that Harry was invited on to the league's committee after going to Pleasington with a group of friends simply to watch a game of amateur football.

Billy Markham, new secretary of the Blackburn Combination, said: "Harry was a father figure to the Blackburn Combination and everyone will miss him greatly.

"He had a real passion for football but amateur football in particular. He was a very friendly man and a great person to have on the committee.

"Most people knew Harry and he was a familiar figure down at Pleasington Playing Fields where he would wander from match to match.

Even when ill health meant that he couldn't walk great distances, he was happy to park up and watch from his car. The Combination meant that much to him."

Billy said Harry played a significant part in bringing the Combination together especially in the heydays of the 60s and 70s when it had five divisions.

"He was a real hands-on chairman," added Billy. "He was the driving force in the league when it was at its biggest and most of it focused around him."

As president of the Blackburn Sports Counci, Harry made sure that amateur football was well represented.

Born-and-bred in Mill Hill, Harry was a popular figure in the community and was one of the trustees at Mill Hill St Peter's FC, the club where his interest in amateur football began as a 10-year-old where he once watched Father Slevin playing in attack.

So it was fitting that he was laid to rest in the community with a funeral service held at St Aidan's Church -- a service well represented by the Blackburn Combination who got the chance to say farewell to its father figure.