The deadline of the 26th May is fast approaching for the regional nominations for the McDonald’s Irish FA Community Awards and one of Northern Ireland’s leading Grassroots Development Officers is calling for mums, dads and young players or anyone involved in grassroots football to nominate a club, coach or volunteer for a special award.

Irish FA Grassroots Development Officer Ian Stewart works with the people involved in local football throughout Northern Ireland, and feels there are many clubs, coaches and volunteers who deserve a nomination for a 2014 Award.

Commenting on the Awards, Ian said: “There are some real superstars working in grassroots football here – from the coach who goes the extra mile for his players to the ladies who’ve washed the kits for 20 years, there’s a worthy nominee in every town and city.

“Young players within local communities get the benefits of a fantastic grassroots education and this simply wouldn’t be possible without these people. They have a huge, positive impact at a local level and I feel they deserve to be rewarded for their efforts.”

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 presentation ceremonies with Pat Jennings attending taking place locally next month. The regional winners will then go forward to the national awards in October.

Goalkeeping legend Pat Jennings echoed Ian’s comments and is encouraging local communities to nominate a grassroots superstar today. Northern Ireland’s most capped-ever player 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.

“Nominations can be made 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. You can also 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.

ENDSFor further information please contact Shane Finnegan or Caroline Murphy at Aiken PR on 02890663000 or email caroline@aikenpr.com

Notes to editorsFor further information on the McDonald’s Community Football Programme visit www.mcdonalds.co.uk/KickStart