FA hosts 15th annual Women's Awards

Women’s football took centre stage in London on Friday as The FA celebrated 20 years of running the female game in England.

The 15th annual FA Women’s Football Awards honoured some key figures both past and present.

Gillian Coultard, the first England Women’s player to make 100 international appearances, was presented with a commemorative gold cap, as was current vice-captain Alex Scott, after she reached the landmark against Russia in the summer.

Women’s football was initially under the auspices of the Women’s Football Association (WFA) and by way of thanking them for their huge role in development the game, former WFA members Pat Gregory and Linda Whitehead were presented with a special Wembley Stone.

But Natasha Dowie was the day’s big winner. After helping fire Liverpool to The FA WSL crown, their first-ever national title, the striker collected the League’s Top Goalscorer Award and also picked up the prestigious Players’ Player of the Year Award, voted for by her peers and presented by Great Britain’s Olympic silver medallist Beth Tweddle MBE.

Reds boss Matt Beard was named FA WSL Manager of the Year, with Sunderland’s Mick Mulhern receiving the accolade in the Premier League.

WSL runners-up Bristol Academy are the FA Club of the Year for the second time and Steph Houghton’s strike against Lincoln was voted the Goal of the Year.

Kelly Simmons, The FA’s Head of Women’s Football, said of the day: "By its very nature, an awards ceremony recognises individual people and clubs.

"However, everyone at The Football Association is aware that this was a celebration for women’s football.

"Today we celebrated the women’s game over the past 20 years and beyond – as well as specific achievements from this season.

"It was also important to stress that 20 years only signifies the start of The FA’s work to develop women’s football and we have a long way to go."

The final accolade of the afternoon was the Special Achievement Award, presented to Dawn Barnard from Essex for her outstanding service to the women’s game since 1986.

Barnard formed Chelmsford City Ladies she also formed and ran both the Essex County Girls’ and Women’s Leagues and later became Secretary of the Essex County Women’s Football League.

In 2011 she was awarded The FA’s Outstanding Contribution to Grassroots Football award and was a regional winner in the Unsung Hero Category of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. And she received an MBE earlier this year for services to football.