GFA 2020

The FA and Mcdonald's Grassroots Awards 2020 are here

Nominations are NOW OPEN!

The nomination window for the Shropshire FA Grassroots Awards 2020 is now open! 

All the shortlisted nominees for the awards will be invited to the Shropshire FA Grassroots Awards 2020 to be held at Mercure Shrewsbury Albrighton Hall Hotel & Spa on the 26th June 2020. The winners of all the above award categories will be announced on the night.

Please give as much details as you can in the nomination form; very short applications will rarely make it through to our shortlist due to the high number of applications in each category.

The deadline for submitting all nominations is Monday 18th May 2020. Any nominations received after this date will not be considered for an award.


These ten Award categories will link into The FA Grassroots Awards:

Coach of the Year (Two awards- one for Youth Team coaches and one for adult team coaches)

  • A coach that gives their time up and has invested their expertise to help others improve and enjoy football.
  • Qualified to minimum Level 1 with a first aid qualification, (safeguarding and FA DBS qualifications for youth nominations too)
  • A coach that goes above and beyond what other volunteer coaches do, in your experience

Grounds Team of the Year

  • An award that recognises outstanding progress from your workforce with grass pitches, in your club or site setting. Being innovative and embracing new and progressive practice, technology and importantly a commitment to making grass pitches on your site the best they can be, to benefit the football community.
  • Sites/ Clubs who have engaged in the FA Pitch Improvement Programme
  • Clear evidence and commitment of investment in training, education and continuous personal development.

Rising Star of the Year

  • This could be a young coach, player, volunteer or match official that displays talent in an area of football.

Club of the Year

  •  For an active, successful and well-run football club which attracts and retains participants as well as volunteers.
  • A club that represents its local community and promotes a “Football For All” ethos.
  • What other initiatives have the club started / promoted over the last 12 months?

League of the Year

  • An inclusive league that promotes the “Football For All” ethos, which is evident in it’s processes as a grassroots football league.
  • A league that goes above and beyond the practice of other leagues in the County, what initiatives have the league done in the last 12 months.

Volunteer of the Year

  • Someone who has given their time and talent to enable others to take part in football. Predominantly in a none-coaching capacity
  • What role(s) has the volunteer done in the last 12 months?
  • Why do they deserve this award above all other volunteers in the County?

Respect Award

  • A league or club that embeds the ethos of Respect in everything they do
  • A league or club that can demonstrate its promotion of the We Only do Positive Campaign
  • A league or club that can demonstrate an improvement in their Respect Marks in the last 2 years

Match Official

  • The nominee must be aged 25 or older
  • Minimum of a Level 7 Referee
  • Clearly demonstrated an exceptional level of performance and dedication to refereeing  

Project of the Year

  • A new innovative football-based project, this could be engaging with a hard to reach groups or groups of people who find exercise and football in particular hard to access; such as BAME groups, 40+ females, groups of people managing their mental health or people with a physical impairment.

Young Coach of the Year

  • Qualified to minimum Level 1 with in date first aid, safeguarding and FA DBS qualifications.
  • A young coach that is committed to their role within grassroots football. A coach that shows maturity and talent beyond their years.

If you would like to nominate an individual, club or league for any of the ten awards above please follow this link to complete the nomination form:

NOMINATE HERE