The club was saddened to learn of the passing of Alan Parker this week, a long-serving, popular and loyal supporter whose time with the club went back right to the very beginning of our existence.
Alan’s passing marks one of the final links with the pre-war Gravesend and Northfleet clubs. His memories of the Fleet went back longer than just about anybody else when as a boy he was at Stonebridge Road that first matchday in 1946 as it all began for Gravesend & Northfleet. He also watched Gravesend United during the Second World War.
Quietly spoken and as generous and affable a man as anyone on the Fleet terraces, Alan was a regular at the club until recent times, helping to sponsor players and attending club events. He was a dedicated club man, extremely active in the old Supporters Association for many years and with a regular column in the matchday programme up until the past decade. He dedicated himself to the club’s commercial operations at a time when any money was vital to keep the Fleet afloat and he was one of those loyal volunteers who kept Stonebridge Road in shipshape condition each passing season.
He was recognised on the first day of the 2016/17 season when he was presented with an award to mark 70 years as a fan – in the same season the club itself turned 70.
Alan worked at AEI Cables for many years, and later as an Asda greeter, and he lived at Fountain Walk in Northfleet. When not working and after retirement, he would walk to the Fleet every day for a chat with the maintenance or office team. He also collected for the hospice locally until 2020 when it became too much for him and his visits to the Fleet on matchdays became less frequent with age in his latter years.
Everyone at the club sends our thoughts and sympathies to all of Alan’s family and his many, many friends at the Fleet. There will be a tribute to him in Saturday’s matchday programme and we will announce our memorial game this season shortly to remember all those from our Fleet family who are no longer with us.
With thanks to Wayne Spillett, Roly Edwards and Eric Rolls for additional info.
