County FA recognition awards

Hampshire FA shortlisted for County FA Recognition Awards 2024

Hampshire Football Association [FA] has been successfully shortlisted for 5 awards in 4 project categories at the County FA Recognition Awards 2024.

Hampshire Football Association [FA] has been successfully shortlisted for 5 awards in 4 project categories at the County FA Recognition Awards 2024.

The Awards, which will be announced at Wembley Stadium connected by EE on Thursday 7 November 2024, recognise and endorse the best projects, products and services delivered by County FAs over the past season while sharing best practice and learnings from around the country.

Over 225 nominations have been entered from the 50 County FAs operating across England, highlighting exceptional delivery and showcasing how they are innovating to improve grassroots football and increase participation across all levels of the game. 

The twelve categories which will be recognised at the awards are: 

Brand Engagement
Coach Development
Employee Wellbeing & Engagement
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Facility Development
Football Development
Partnership
Positive Football Environment
Referee Development
Special recognition
Women & Girls
Youth Engagement


Hampshire FA has made the final shortlist for the following awards:

Developing Young Coaches – Coach Development
A Youth Network-led offering professional coach development opportunities to young people. Delivering a one-day showcase, this event enabled male and female coaches to interact with likeminded individuals and delve into the brains of our FA Tutors for both practical and theoretical knowledge, support and experience.

Walk, Talk and Play – Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Walk, Talk & Play introduces walking football to women-led community groups across Hampshire, specifically working with women aged 55+ who are from ethnically diverse or religious backgrounds.

Female Referee Development Programme – Women & Girls
A female-only programme aimed to provide much needed varying levels of support to both new and existing female referees across Hampshire, and upskilling our female workforce across the grassroots game.

Royals Youth League – Youth Engagement
Recreational sessions aimed to engage U14/U15 players with a fun and new approach to competitive football. Inspired by ‘The Kings League’ created by Gerard Pique, the Hampshire FA Royals Youth League offers varying rules to small-sided football.

Strategy Consultation – Youth Engagement
Our Strategy Consultation aimed to engage young people so that we can shape football to meet their needs over the next 4 years. This will allow us to ensure the activities and projects we deliver for young people within our strategy are shaped by young people and based on what they have told us is important to them.


Hampshire FA CEO, Neil Cassar said: "I’m extremely proud of the team for receiving recognition for very deserving projects in four different categories of the awards. I know that everybody has worked extremely hard over the 2023-24 season, and to have five of our projects shortlisted for a 2024 County FA Recognition Award is a great achievement, and one that we should all be proud of. I would like to thank The FA for the recognition of our efforts in the grassroots game.”

The FA’s Head of Operations for Grassroots Football, Tim Foster added

“I’d like to congratulate Hampshire FA in making the final shortlist for the Coach Development; Equality, Diversity & Inclusion; Women & Girls; and Youth Engagement awards. We’ve had some outstanding submissions this year, once again highlighting the crucial role County FAs play in their local communities, ensuring accessible opportunities across all football formats and creating a fun and safe environment for all.

“We look forward to celebrating the achievements of our County FAs at Wembley Stadium in November and thanking everyone involved for their efforts across the season.” 

For more information on the work of County FAs, visit: https://www.englandfootball.com/explore/county-football-associations