Locally-born Allen Trump signed for Exeter City as a sixteen-year-amateur in 1965 and went on to play for the reserves in the Western League. After going into business, he returned to the club in the 1990s as financial director and chief executive under the chairmanship of Ivor Doble. He was also involved in speedway.

Allen, a goalkeeper, was one of a group of seven teenagers - including future first- teamer Mike Balson and Alan Goad who played many times for Hartlepool - who signed as amateurs following a trial game in  May 1965.

With the reserves only playing in the Western League until 1967, he had a number of games at that level before moving into local football. Some years later in 1974/75, when with Budleigh Salterton, he helped City in emergencies by playing a couple of reserve games in the South Western League against Porthleven and Bodmin Town.

By then in business, he was to combine his enthusiasm for football with a business opportunity by going into a football magazine-publishing venture with former Southampton, Arsenal, Exeter City and England player Steve Williams. Eventually invited to join the Exeter City board by Ivor Doble, he became financial director in 1991 and chief executive in 1993.