On Sunday 4th August, thirteen volunteers from across the country attended the 2019 FA & McDonald’s Grassroots Football Awards national ceremony, held at the home of football, Wembley Stadium connected by EE, to collect their awards after being named national winners.
The FA & McDonald’s Grassroots Football Awards recognise and celebrate the tireless volunteers who dedicate so much time to the grassroots game. The awards are now in their tenth year and the winners join a long list of inspirational grassroots football heroes who have marched down Wembley Way to collect their coveted awards.
The thirteen winners in full are:
- Coach of the Year – Lizzie Pacey
- Community Project of the Year – Follo FC
- Charter Standard Club of the Year – Chadderton Park FC
- Charter Standard League of the Year – Mid Lancashire Junior Football League
- Grounds Team of the Year – Tony Sanders
- Match Official of the Year – Chad Roberts
- Supporter of the Year – Thomas Woodrow
- The Bobby Moore Award – Paul Rimmer
- The We Only Do Positive Respect Award – Shropshire Junior Football Leagu
- Volunteer of the Year – James Galt
- Rising Stars of the Year – Asha Mohamud and Ali Zaman
- Football Mum of the Year – Carla Parker
- Football Restaurant of the Year – Thornbury McDonald’s, Bradford City Disability FC
The winners accepted their awards from football legends, including: - Gareth Barry Martin Keown, Danny Murphy and Karen Carney, ahead of The FA Community Shield, supported by McDonald’s, which saw Premier League and Emirates FA Cup champions Manchester City defeat UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool. During the half time break, the winners walked out onto the hallowed Wembley turf in front of more than 77,000 fans to receive their awards.
“I have been involved with the Grassroots Awards for a number of years now and the stories of the winners never fail to impress me. They should be extremely proud of their work and grassroots football is a much better place with our winners as part of it,” said McDonald’s ambassador Martin Keown. “The English game is in a very good place at the moment with The Three Lions boasting a number of young and talented players while the Lionesses enjoyed a superb World Cup in France. Our national teams simply wouldn’t be in this place without the hard work of our grassroots volunteers – every player has to start somewhere. It was a pleasure to meet them and I hope they all continue their extraordinary commitment to football for many years to come.”
Having worked with The FA over the past 17 years, McDonald’s is the longest-standing supporter of grassroots football in the UK. Through this partnership, McDonald’s continues to champion the tireless volunteers who dedicate countless hours to provide enjoyable football to children and young adults regardless of age, gender or disability.
