Pat Jennings, Northern Ireland’s most capped player, has announced the launch of the 2014 McDonald’s Irish FA Community Awards. The Awards programme, now in its fourth year, aims to recognise and reward the clubs, coaches and volunteers that make outstanding contributions to grassroots football right across Northern Ireland.
Nominations open today at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/KickStart or www.irishfa.com/communityawards so if you know a coach, club or volunteer that deserves recognition for their contribution to the beautiful game at grassroots level please complete an online nomination form.
Speaking at the launch of the awards, Pat Jennings, McDonald’s Head of Northern Ireland football said:
“The clubs, coaches and volunteers working in communities across Northern Ireland are the lifeblood of the game and the McDonald’s Irish FA Community Awards is our way of saying thank you to these volunteers who make grassroots football such a success.
“It’s the dedication of these volunteers that means thousands of young players across Northern Ireland get access to a safe, quality football experience every week. I think the work done by grassroots volunteers is incredible and they deserve to be honoured at the Awards.”
The 2013 Awards event saw Northern Ireland’s local unsung heroes being celebrated during a gala evening in Derry~Londonderry where special guests including Sir Geoff Hurst, Ian Rush, Eric Harrison and Pat Jennings joined forces to celebrate the great achievements in grassroots football.
The Awards are split into eight national categories and grassroots clubs, coaches and volunteers from all over Northern Ireland can be nominated. The Coach of the Year, Accredited Club of the Year and Volunteer of the Year categories will be awarded on a regional basis, with the regional winners going forward to the national awards in October.
The national winners for the other categories will be chosen by a national judging panel and the winners will be revealed at Award ceremony. The national winner of the People’s Award will be voted for by the public and announced at the national ceremony.
People are encouraged to follow the McDonald’s Irish FA Community Awards on twitter @2014Grassroots.
The McDonald’s Irish FA Community Awards build on the continued commitment of McDonald’s to improve standards of community football and to increase participation across all aspects of the game.
The Awards form a key part of McDonald’s Community Partnership with the Irish FA; a partnership that has been developing grassroots football since 2002 and is helping young footballers shine. This partnership is delivering a lasting legacy for grassroots football through KickStart funding, ongoing coach creation and education, the Club Accreditation Scheme and a number of regional Small Sided Games Centres.
ENDS
Notes to editors
For further information on the McDonald’s Community Football Programme visit www.mcdonalds.co.uk/KickStart
For further information please contact Shane Finnegan or John Megaughin at Aiken PR on 02890663000 or email john@aikenpr.com
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