LRCFA Recognition Awards 2023
Friday 22nd September saw the Morningside Arena play host to the Leicestershire & Rutland County FA Recognition Awards for 2023.
Leicestershire & Rutland County FA (LRCFA) recognised 25 awards winners across 14 different categories in an evening the celebrated longevity, grassroots excellence and those that have gone above and beyond.
We were joined on the evening by Tony Burnett, CEO of Kick it Out, who talked about the importance of creating the right environment and embracing the rich diversity that our county has to offer. In addition to this, BBC Radio Leicester’s Russell Hobbs interview Leicester City legend, Emile Heskey. Emile talked about his experiences playing grassroots football in our County before signing for Leicester City, his achievements and favourite moments as a professional player and finished by talking about his current coaching journey with Leicester City Women and the England U19 team.
Joe Dunmore, CEO of LRCFA said, “This has been a fantastic evening, truly celebrating the great volunteers who make our county so strong in grassroots football. Our thanks must go to all the winners, those that nominated them and those that continue to push the bar of excellence higher and higher.”
To be able to deliver the Recognition Awards for 2023, LRCFA would like to thank four partners, without whom, we wouldn’t have been able to recognise our volunteers in the way we did:
- MDH Teamwear and Trophies
- Glenfield Electrical
- The Coaching Manual
- Soar Valley Press
The awards were finished off with the newly introduced Ivor Finn Award. Ivor was the driving force behind the Leicester and District Mutual Leagues move to youth football and laid the foundation for it becoming the biggest league in our county. Ivor sadly passed away a few years ago but the association wanted to recognise him by rewarding others that show the same passions he did in developing grassroots football in our county. The inaugural winner of this award was Dave Lumley of both Leicestershire Midweek Floodlit Youth League and the Leicestershire Senior Football League.
A full list of our winners can be found below:
Long Service Awards
|
AWARD |
WINNER |
CLUB |
|
10 Years Secretary |
Anthony Littlejohns |
Hinckley Borough FC |
|
10 Years Secretary |
Danny Pole |
Shepshed Dynamo FC |
|
10 Years Secretary |
Heidi Chapman |
GNG Football Club |
|
10 Years Secretary |
Ibrahim Kasuji |
Ballpark Nirvana / Leicester Rising Starz FC |
|
10 Years Secretary |
James Moore |
Houghton Rangers FC |
|
10 Years Secretary |
Leigh Watts |
Groby Juniors FC |
|
10 Years Secretary |
Matt Elliott |
Glenfield United FC |
|
10 Years Secretary |
Pete Hartsorn |
Buddha FC |
|
10 Years Secretary |
Stu Brown |
Sutton Bonington FC |
|
AWARD |
WINNER |
CLUB |
|
25 Years Secretary |
Ann Bettles |
Sileby Town FC |
|
25 Years Secretary |
Mark Riches |
Shepshed Amateurs FC |
FA Grassroots Awards for Leicestershire & Rutland
|
AWARD |
WINNER |
CLUB / LEAGUE |
|
GRASSROOTS CLUB OF THE YEAR |
Thompson United FC |
|
|
GRASSROOTS COACH OF THE YEAR DISABILITY PATHWAY |
Tyler Elliot |
Asfordby Amateurs Ladies, Girls and Inclusive FC |
|
GRASSROOTS COACH OF THE YEAR FEMALE PATHWAY |
Emma Fish |
FC Burbage |
|
GRASSROOTS COACH OF THE YEAR MALE PATHWAY |
Elliot Henry-Smith |
Sporting Markfield FC |
|
GRASSROOTS GROUNDS TEAM OF THE YEAR |
Adrian Barnes |
Ashby Ivanhoe FC |
|
GRASSROOTS LEAGUE OF THE YEAR |
Leicestershire Women and Girls League |
|
|
GRASSROOTS NEW VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR |
Hivi Fettah |
Leicestershire Women and Girls League / Oadby Owls FC |
|
POSITIVE FOOTBALL ENVIRONMENT AWARD |
Nick Dobney |
Bottesford FC |
|
THE LIONESS AWARD |
Sue Foulkes |
Leicester City Ladies FC |
|
YOUNG VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR |
Callum Prince |
Ashby United FC |
Special Recognition Awards
|
AWARD |
WINNER |
CLUB / LEAGUE |
|
Special Recognition Award |
Belton Villa Junior Football Club |
|
|
Special Recognition Award |
Shaun Wilkes |
Sileby Athletic FC / Ingles FC |
|
Ivor Finn Award |
Dave Lumley |
Leicestershire Midweek Floodlit Youth League / Leicestershire Senior Football League
|
