Grassroots heroes honoured

In two years Wyrley Juniors grew by 35 per cent, introducing two new disability teams, a walking football side and a ladies veterans teams. The club is in the process of setting up both deaf and blind teams.

They are a sister club to Birmingham City Ladies and deliver SSE Wildcats sessions.

Its members have been encouraged to attend a range of training sessions, including how to use a defibrillator, and the club staged its own safeguarding week, delivering courses to parents.

Based in Staffordshire, the club has also contributed heavily in the community, including donations to food banks and Christmas presents to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Despite a trend nationally of a decline in players with Cerebral Palsy past the age of 14, CP United continue to grow year on year with the club set to add three new teams for next season.

They have linked up with the Manchester City's disability department, this summer played in a tournament in Barcelona and organised their own CP specific festival in which 60 children took part.

The club’s motto “be the best you can be” is emphasised in the work they do both on and off the pitch.

A futures programme has been established, in which 10 people are enrolled, to aid them with building a career in football.

South London-based Broomwood has increased the number of teams playing from nine, in 2014-15, to 18 as well as one playing in the Capital Girls League.

This in turn means the number of players affiliated to the club now exceeds 1,000.

Standards have been raised with 72 volunteers having completed The FA Level 1 course, while the club has invested in hiring all-weather pitches for mid-week coaching sessions, purchased portable goals and one football per child.

As well as appointing a head coach, assistant coaches, administrator, kit persons and a first aider for each age group, new mid-management roles have been created. There are now co-ordinators for coach development, grants, sponsorship, safeguarding and first aid.

Set to celebrate its 50^th year, the Surrey Youth League is in its eighth year as an FA Charter Standard League.

This season saw 950 teams, incorporating 12,000 players, compete – a 35 per cent growth in five years.

With an emphasis on education the league provides a 50 per cent discount on FA learning courses, which, so far, 1,000 people have taken advantage of.

More than £10,000 has been invested to help promote The FA’s ‘Respect’ campaign, with the purchase of barriers, banners and respect marshall hi-viz jackets.

Ben co-chairs Glossop Juniors Football Development Committee. He manages the U12 age group and assists Dave Rowlinson in coaching the U9 girls side, while acting as a mentor to other age groups 

Friday Futsal sessions have been introduced, which sees up to 20 players attend weekly, which Ben travels back from London for.

He sits on the committee of Glossop Juniors and acts as the club’s PR co-ordinator.

Parm first approached the Kent FA to start a women and girls section at Gravesend-based club Guru Nanak FC.

The project began with a group of Sikh ladies who had never played before, undertaking a fitness and skills session.

Initially training alongside the men’s and youth teams at the local sports ground, Parm’s aim was to create teams for players aged five through to seniors.

She gave up much of her free time to give local talks in schools and campaigned to obtain kit. After numerous meetings to justify why Sikh women should be allowed to play they have now been fully integrated into the club.

Parm is now a member of The Kent FA’s Equality Advisory Group and helps with strategies to ensure they are as inclusive as possible.

A member of Dorset County FA’s Youth Council as an inclusion project officer, Lucy volunteered at every Dorset FA event staged in 2016.

Lucy has led the delivery of The FA Football Legacy Fund which resulted in more than 40 girls aged 12-18 taking part in soccercise at the local Shaftesbury School.

She is working towards her Level 2 Coaching Award and has completed a Coaching Disabled Footballers Course.

Voted as winner by the public for our 'Outstanding Contribution' award, Wendy is club secretary st St. Ives Rangers and is heavily involved in the provision of football for people with disabilities, running the 'Ability Counts' section of the club and ensuring that it is properly funded.

Jennifer also had the honour of presenting the man-of-the-match award live on BT Sport after the game. She's been involved in grassroots football for 36 years, starting with volunterring with her son and daughter's teams and coaching schools in Newton-Le-Willows. She then started a club in St. Helen's, which picked up a Charter Standard Award after only six months and now has six teams in the Warrington League, ranging from U12s to U17s.

The restaurant has helped to support almost 20 different teams of all ages in its local area, often providing kit donations and funding the renovation of club houses. Franchisee Jerry Nicholls is the man behind it all, he's even taken to coaching a local team himself.