COMMUNITY HEROES RECOGNISED WITH THE 2020 FA & McDONALD’S GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL AWARDS

The national winners of the 2020 FA & McDonald’s Grassroots Football Awards have been revealed, with 12 recipients from across England being honoured for their services to the grassroots game. The awards celebrate the efforts of volunteers across England who go the extra mile to support their local communities. This year’s winners join a long list of inspirational grassroots football heroes who have been recognised by the awards programme.

Now in its eleventh year, the awards saw a record amount of entries in 2020. The 12 winners are:

1.       Grounds Team of the Year – Paul Wade, Orpington FC

2.       Grassroots Club of the Year – Sandbach United

3.       Volunteer of the Year – Tony Pratt, Rayners Lane FC

4.       Rising Star of the Year – Elsa Jones, Hanwell Town FC

5.       We Only Do Positive Respect – Harefield United U16s team

6.       Grassroots Project of the Year – Diversity Football League

7.       Grassroots Match Official of the Year – Ella Broad, Wilts FA

8.       Grassroots League of the Year – Herts Senior County League

9.       Football Restaurant of the Year – Newhaven McDonald’s

10.   Bobby Moore Award – Oliver Mitchell, Cerebral Palsy United

11.   Grassroots Coach of the Year for Adults – Farouk Menia, Dulwich Hamlet FC

12.   Grassroots Coach of the Year for Youth – Tony Mitchell, Winsford Over 3 Junior FC Disability team

The winners will be presented with their awards at an event to be held at a later date.

Sir Geoff Hurst, McDonald’s Fun Football ambassador and 1966 World Cup winner, said: “In what has been a hugely challenging year for the whole country, it feels particularly important to recognise the dedication of volunteers who work tirelessly to have a positive impact on their local communities. I have been involved with the Grassroots Football Awards since the very beginning and the stories of the winners never fail to impress me. The 2020 winners should be extremely proud of their work and grassroots football in England is in a much better place with them being a part of it.”

Having worked with The FA for the past 18 years, McDonald’s is the longest-standing supporter of grassroots football in the UK. Throughout this time, it has championed the work of volunteers who invest countless hours of time to deliver safe, enjoyable football to children and young adults regardless of age, gender or disability.

Last year McDonald’s also celebrated a milestone moment in the McDonald’s Fun Football Programme as it reached 2 million hours of Fun Football provided to children across the UK. McDonald’s is committed to its target of giving over 500,000 children the opportunity to play football for the first time and providing over 5 million hours of football to 5-11-year-olds by 2022.

For further information on McDonald’s involvement in grassroots football and to find out how your club could benefit, follow @FunFootballUK on Twitter and Instagram.

To find out more about all of the 2020 FA and McDonald’s Grassroots Football Award winners, visit http://www.thefa.com/get-involved/grassroots-football-awards/winners

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For further details, please contact: McDonaldssportsteam@redconsultancy.com