Dedicated Mark Hignett making his mark

During his spare time father-of-three Mark Hignett has managed to juggle his full-time job with numerous voluntary positions in the world of football for the last 12 years.

Hignett, giving his time for free, became secretary for the Shrewsbury District Football Association and was appointed principal organising officer for the forthcoming Under-18 Centenary Shield international between England and Republic of Ireland, which will be held in Shropshire.

He also took over as inter-county match co-ordinator and football development officer at the Shropshire Schools and College FA in 2009 and has been vice chairman of the organisation since 2011.

For good measure he was appointed to the English Schools' FA national council in 2014.

He serves on several committees including chairing the PR and communications sub-committee, representing the Midlands on all matters.

With such a resume it was no surprise he was presented with a long service award by the Shropshire Schools' Sports and Athletics Association during a presentation at Shrewsbury's Shirehall for his contribution to school sport.

"It was all quite humbling really," said 37-year-old Hignett.

"You don't get into it for the awards but when you do get recognition it is nice.

"It was an honour to receive the long service award but the highlight for me was seeing all the young people from across the county picking up their awards for various achievements. It's all about them and there are thousands of volunteers who do the same thing as me."

Hignett's journey started 12 years ago when he was invited to manage The Grange School in Shrewsbury, one of the SSCFA's county representative teams following a successful first season.

He oversaw two cup final victories at the former Gay Meadow and a re-emergence of the school as a footballing force.

"Teams at Grange hadn't really won anything football wise so the achievement was recognised by the SSCFA," said Hignett.

"I was asked to become the county representative and then football development officer.

"I suppose the success saw me handed more senior roles but it's fair to say I didn't expect to end up with so many.

"Time is the biggest balancing act, especially with my main job taking up more time so it's become a bit of a juggling act.

"One of my favourite schemes is the primary schools programme in Shrewsbury because you can see how much fun and enjoyment everyone is getting from it.

"The competition ends with a final at Greenhous Meadow.

"It's also great to see the youngsters go on to represent the county and English schools."

During his 12-year stint Hignett has coached Jake Jervis, who went on to play for Birmingham City, and Harry Lewis, who is now at Southampton.

One of his proudest moments was becoming the first Shropshire teacher to be involved in the English FA in its entire history.

Hignett said it was thanks to the support of his wife, Vicki, and three children, Cameron, 16, Bethan, 11, and Ella, eight, that he was able to carry on his voluntary work.

"Luckily they are all into football and they come with me to a lot of the games," he said.

"Cameron has benefitted from some of the county programmes and even helps out and officiates some of the games.

"For me, the teaching will always be the mainstay and I've progressed through my career quite well in that as well.

"But lots of interesting opportunities have come up in the world of football through volunteering.

"I think school football will always be where my loyalty lies because it's great to see all the children getting involved in the sport.

"A lot of people find reason for not volunteering but for me it's important to get involved."