In Memoriam Ken Valder

Ken sadly lost his long battle with cancer on Saurday 26th November 2022. 

He had been a regular player at Moulsecoomb prior to the pandemic and a major presence at our social events.

When he started playing Walking Football with us, he found a group of people who shared his outlook on life: that no matter what age and infirmity threw at you it didn't mean that you couldn't have a positive outlook and enjoy yourself. It is no wonder that he felt at home in our club and enjoyed playing at Moulsecoomb so much.

And we enjoyed playing with him. Woody, our oldest player at 85, summed it up in his tribute: "when the doors opened and Kens body appeared with a smiling face on top we we knew we was in for a fun day". And Ian G said: "his delight whenever he scored a goal was similar to the reaction of a child on Christmas morning".

Top bloke, lovely man, wonderful person. These were  among the many tributes paid to him by his fellow members at the club.

The picture of him here was taken when he received Albion's Fan of the Season award in 2018. He was the Seagulls’ first ever premiership fan of the season. 

Ken had been a ‘Here to Help’ worker at the Amex  Stadium since 2015, devoting his time to not only helping his fellow  fans, but supporting his team nationally. 

One of Ken's sayings on the pitch was "That'll do!" every time someone stopped an attack by putting the ball out of play. I can imagine him saying it often at Albion games when they struggled to win possession. It's a saying I shall borrow from Ken and whenever I use it I shall be reminded of him.