Allan Sinclair attended North Vancouver High School from 1947 to 1949 playing for both the school’s junior and senior teams. In 1950, he joined their coaching staff and won the B.C. junior championship. But it was in 1960 that Alan found his greatest calling in football as he embarked on a 59-year career as an official.
He started with the Gordon Sturtridge Football League (8-man football in North Vancouver), followed by the Big 4 Jr. League officiating in venues from Swangard Stadium to UBC Thunderbird Stadium to the old Empire Stadium and many other open fields.
In his early days, Sinclair held many positions including umpire, head linesman, field judge and game timer. In 1970, he worked CFL games as part of the stick crew. In 1974, he joined the B.C. American Referee Association working most game positions.
In 1990, Sinclair decided to only work games at stadiums that featured electronic clocks, including the likes of games at SFU, UBC, BC Place, Swangard, and Burnaby Lakes.
Sinclair received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BC High School Football Officials Association in 2018.