Lucy Bronze capped a fantastic 2015 by being named Vauxhall England Player of the Year at this year’s FA Women’s Football Awards.
The right-back, who earlier this week was named on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year shortlist, was voted for by supporters and received the trophy at the awards, which were held at Wembley Stadium on Friday [4 December].
The awards celebrated the best of women’s football at international and domestic level, recognising elite and grassroots achievements.
Beth Mead was named Vauxhall England Young Player of the Year – one of three awards that the Sunderland striker picked up on the night. Mead was also named FA WSL 1 Players’ Player of the Year and FA WSL 1 Top Goalscorer.
Sunderland hotshot Beth Mead picked up three awards
Chelsea were well represented at the awards after their double-winning year, which included lifting the SSE Women’s FA Cup in the first-ever Final to be held at Wembley, with Emma Hayes being named Manager of the Year and Ji So Yun picking up the FA WSL Goal of the Season award, as voted for by fans.
Doncaster Rovers Belles’ Courtney Sweetman-Kirk was named FA WSL 2 Players’ Player of the Year, with Jodie Michalska, Kit Graham and Catherine Clough picking up the FA Women’s Premier League (FA WPL) prizes.
Elsewhere in the FA WPL, Sheffield FC manager Helen Mitchell was awarded FA WPL Manager of the Year after steering her side to promotion into FA WSL 2. Derby County were named FA WPL Club of the Year.
FA WSL 1 Club of the Year was presented to Sunderland while Doncaster Rovers Belles scooped FA WSL 2 Club of the Year.
In the final awards of the night, Brighton won the #WeCanPlay Participation Award for their ‘Albion in the Community’ programme while Portsmouth’s Dave Coyle was awarded Outstanding Contribution to Women’s Football.
FA director of football participation and development Kelly Simmons, said: “2015 has been a landmark year for women’s football with huge progress being made at international and domestic level.
“From the Lionesses’ outstanding World Cup campaign and bringing the SSE Women’s FA Cup Final to Wembley, to huge increases in attendances in the FA WSL and coverage of the women’s game, we have made huge strides and it gives us a great platform for more in 2016.
“This year’s awards feel particularly special in light of all of these achievements and on behalf of everybody at The FA I would like to congratulate the many clubs, players, volunteers, coaches, staff and supporters that have worked so hard to make 2015 such a fantastic year for the game.”
The winners
- Vauxhall England Player of the Year Lucy Bronze
- Vauxhall England Young Player of the Year Beth Mead
- FA WSL 1 Players’ Player of the Year Beth Mead
- FA WSL 2 Players’ Player of the Year Courtney Sweetman-Kirk
- FA WPL Player’s Player of the Year (Prem) Jodie Michalska & Kit Graham
- FA WPL Player’s Player of the Year (Div 1s) Catherine Clough
- FA WSL Manager of the Year Emma Hayes
- FA WPL Manager of the Year Helen Mitchell
- FA WSL Goal of the Year Ji So Yun
- FA WSL 1 Club of the Year Sunderland
- FA WSL 2 Club of the Year Doncaster Rovers Belles
- FA WPL Club of the Year Derby County
- #WeCanPlay Participation Award Albion in the Community
- FA WSL 1 Top Goalscorer Beth Mead
- FA WSL 2 Top Goalscorer Courtney Sweetman-Kirk
- FA WPL Northern Top Goalscorer Kit Graham
- FA WPL Southern Top Goalscorer Jodie Michalska
- FA WPL North Division 1 Top Goalscorer Tanya Rich
- FA WPL Midlands Division 1 Top Goalscorer Natalie Shaw
- FA WPL South East Division 1 Top Goalscorer Sara Sinclair
- FA WPL South West Division 1 Top Goalscorer Natasha Knapman
- Outstanding Contribution to Women’s Football Dave Coyle
