English National League side Halifax Town have found themselves playing second fiddle to Love Island, as their forward Jamie Allen walked out of pre-season training for the reality show.
The 27-year-old will return to the club to come face-to-face with top brass for a ‘review’ whenever his stay in Spain’s villa ends. Allen has now made the move to miss the end of Halifax’s pre-season for the starring role in the top reality show that already has ties to English football. Gemma Owen, son of Liverpool legend Michael Owen, has already featured prominently throughout this season.
Halifax, who finished fourth in the fifth-tier National League last season, said in an official statement:
“Jamie Allen has decided to join the cast of Love Island 2022, making his intentions clear that the opportunity is very important to him.”
The Montserrat international joined Staylbridge Celtic in 2015, making moves to Southport and then Dover Athletic in 2017. After parting ways with Dover in 2019, Allen inked a deal with Halifax to score three goals in 20 appearances with the club making it to the play-offs. They would lose to Chesterfield in the quarter-final stages.
Allen is not the first person of a sporting career to make his way to the Love Island villa. Jacques O’Neill had been released from his contract with Ruby League side Castleford Tigers so he could enter the ITV show.
The Tigers however retain their first option to re-sign O’Neill should he wish to make a return to rugby, after making a premature exit earlier this month. Dennon Lewis is another footballer who put his on-pitch career aside for a spell on Love Island. Lewis joined the show’s seventh series after helping Sutton United make their way to the EFL League Two during the 2020-21 season.
The Tigers though do hold the first option to re-sign O’Neill, who decided to quit Love Island mid-way through the show earlier this month, if he wishes to return to rugby.
