Cheshire FA Awards Review - 2019
Earlier this month, we hosted our annual Cheshire FA awards at Cresta Court Hotel, Altrincham.
The evening celebrated all that is great about grassroots football in Cheshire, with live entertainment keeping the audience entertained throughout the event.
Seven Cheshire FA Awards were handed out on the night; the For All Award, Futsal Award, Business & Professional Services Award, Marketing Award, Women & Girls Award, Safeguarding and Welfare Award and the prestigious Changing Lives Through Football award.
Seven of our regional FA and McDonalds Grassroots awards winners were nominated for the Changing Lives Through Football Award, with the overall winner decided upon by public vote that received over 800 votes.
There was also the opportunity to recognise some of our UEFA B graduates from the last two seasons.
Our charity partners, Once Upon a Smile, joined us for the evening of celebration and handed out two of their own awards; the Fundraiser of the Year Award, which was won by Lorna Carney, and the Inspirational Individual of the Year, won by Emma Knighton.
The whole event was well received and was a fitting celebration of the hard work going on across Cheshire to grow the beautiful game. The evening also gave us the opportunity to raise funds for Once Upon a Smile, an organisation providing support for bereaved families.
Our biggest thank you goes out to our volunteers and to the people that came on the night. It was a truly memorable event and we hope that you enjoyed your evening.
Steve Stewart, Cheshire FA Chief Executive, said: “First and foremost, I would like to thank each and every one of the people who attended our annual awards and made it such an overwhelming success.
“Football in Cheshire would not be thriving without the hard work of our volunteers, so it was an honour to recognise some of these incredible individuals.
“It was an enjoyable night for all and we hope the evening has helped make more people aware of the fantastic work going on across the county.”
We would like to sincerely thank Compass Minerals, Cheshire Fire & Rescue and South Cheshire Print, who all sponsored individual awards on the night.
We would also like to thank Marc Darcy, Keyteq, Lloyds Bank, Brio Leisure, Nike, Kitlocker, Concorde Trophies and McDonalds for being a part of the evening and helping us to raise funds for Once Upon a Smile.
A final thanks goes to musicians Dave and Howard and table magicians Nem and Craig for keeping the crowd entertained throughout the evening.
take a look at some images from this year's awards
Altrincham FC wore a rainbow coloured kit in a competitive fixture in support of football's fight against homophobia. The non-league side's usual red and white stripes were replaced by the colours of the LGBT pride flag. It is believed that this is the first time anywhere in the world that a senior football club has worn a kit solely modeled on the LGBT pride flag. After the match, the rainbow-coloured kits were sold at auction to raise money for Pride Trust, an LGBT youth charity.
Other finalists: Stockport County Community Foundation, Egerton FC
Mike has been a part of the girls game on the Wirral for a long time, with his name being recognised for all the right reasons. He is the secretary of the newly-set Cheshire Girls Wirral League and secretary of Oxton Ladies. Mike ensures he's available to any coach or parent of any club throughout the week. He not only makes his face known on match days and also steps in to referee free of charge if no-one else is able to attend.
Other finalists: Jane Morley, Carla Parker
Karl Burns at Wire Futsal has shown commitment to drive futsal forward in this country and to ensure that over the next 12 months, Cheshire will be leading the way for futsal nationally. Karl has been heavily involved in the delivery of futsal provision for both boys and girls in the Warrington area, as well as being the delivery arm for Cheshire FA in the FA Youth Futsal Cup qualifying rounds. Karl is also in the process of setting up Cheshire's very first female futsal league.
Other finalists: Matt Fejos, Halton Street Soccer
The HUT Group initially took an interest in grassroots football at Egerton in 2017 and have been part of the club ever since. They initially approached the club when they sought kit sponsors and now replace all of the club's kits on a two-year basis. This financial support means that Egerton can now invest £10,000 per season into coaching provision for players.
Other finalists: Britannia Carpets, Ian Wrench GDI Air Conditioning
Crewe FC are very active across social media. The club uses a variety of different social media platforms to interact with the grassroots community. All social media posts are vibrant, fun and inclusive, meaning they are very engaging to the public eye. From this, the club has seen an increase in following, thus making their impact on grassroots football greater, as they have been able to attract more participants to play the game in Crewe.
Other finalists: Chester FC Community Trust, Hallmark Security League
The Wallasey and District Sunday League are the first open-age league in Cheshire to have Welfare Officers. Both Tom and Phil continuously strive to improve the facilities on the Wirral and have a genuine passion and drive to better football conditions for all, regardless of age. Each week, they drive around the Wirral to see how they can improve in all aspects of their league. Their dedication has improved the safeguarding infrastructure on the Wirral.
Other finalists: Stockport Dynamoes, Matt Carr
Danny has played a key role in instilling the FA's key values across all phases of Crewe FC. His planning and preparation enable each child to have the opportunity to fulfill their potential. Danny has been the main advocate of women's and disability football at the club. He has helped Crewe grow from one adult team to 26 teams in the space of three years. The continued progression of the club is largely down to the hard work that Danny does.
Other finalists: Upton FC, Jack Hoyland, Brian Wilkinson, Inspire League, Simon Lines-Hoyland, Witton Albion FC Men's Health Session