Celebration of Powerchair Football
The Wheelchair Football Association’s (WFA) End of Season Ceremony took place earlier this month. Due to the current social distancing guidelines, the ceremony wasn’t able to go ahead in its usual capacity – so instead was celebrated through a live YouTube feed.
The virtual event was spearheaded by WFA National Development Officer Ryan Sipple and Alex Dowding of Goals Beyond Grass (GBG) – “a charity dedicated to helping children, families, and communities across the country reach their full potential by engaging in physical and social activity”.
Ryan Sipple said –
“This event wouldn’t have been possible without Goals Beyond Grass, so absolutely all credit goes to them! Despite Alex Dowding and I leading on this virtual event, the support and expertise of Brian Dix, Adam McEvoy, Kieran Franks and Tim Butler was invaluable!
It was just amazing to see the whole community come together to celebrate our amazing sport! We were absolutely overwhelmed with the response we received both in the lead-up to and during the event. I want to thank all of the incredible sponsors who supported this fantastic celebration from its creation, all the way to its execution on September 5th. “
The virtual event was a hit with the Powerchair Football Community, with over 300 people watching the live stream throughout the evening (which lasted approximately 2 hours). To give the event more of an interactive feel the hashtag #JustLovePowerchairFootball was introduced, meaning any pictures posted using the hashtag appeared on the live stream – almost 100 pictures were submitted on the night.
Ryan also said-
“The engagement we received from the Powerchair community made the countless hours spent on this project absolutely worth it’.
Throughout the evening a total of 15 awards were announced, ranging from individual player awards to a prestigious lifetime achievement award.
PREMIERSHIP AWARDS
Premiership Player of the Year
Jon Bolding of Aspire PFC
Jon said – “I was completely honoured to receive this award. When your level of play is recognised by your fellow competitors the feeling is special.
“I just want to say thank you to all the players who voted for me, it really is appreciated. I’m not going to relax now that I have this award, I’m going to continue to work hard and try to be better next season.”
Premiership Young Player of the Year
Patrick Kelly of Manchester United PFC
Patrick said- “I’m delighted to receive the Premiership Young Player of the Year award. I wasn’t expecting it, because there are so many other good young players. Thank you to everyone who voted. An individual award is impossible to win without the support of a team, so I would especially like to thank my Manchester United teammates.”
Premiership Head Coach of the Year
Chris Gordon of West Bromwich Albion PFC
Chris said – “I am honoured to have been recognised by my fellow competitors at the WFA as this seasons Premiership Head Coach of the Year! It’s my first individual award, and something I am immensely proud of. Many thanks to my team for their hard work and the Albion Foundation for their continued support”.
Premiership Team of the Year
West Bromwich Albion PFC
They said- “We’d like to thank everyone that voted for us. The award is a testament to the team’s dedication and hard work during the last couple of seasons. We’re all still improving and can’t wait for the challenges that next season will bring”.
Premiership Top Goalscorer
Marcus Harrison of West Bromwich Albion PFC
Marcus said – “It’s a proud moment to be the winner of the Premiership Top Goal Scorer award. I’d like to thank my teammates for helping me achieve this and the Albion Foundation for their continued support”.
Premiership Goal of the Season
Myles Miller of Sevenoaks PFC
Myles said – “It’s a great honour to have even been shortlisted for the award. Despite the season being cut short, there were so many amazing goals scored. I was against some tough competition – so it was a special feeling to win. The award has inspired me to push myself to new heights. I’d like to thank everyone who voted for me”.
CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS
Championship Player of the Year
Lee Armstrong of Newcastle United PFC
Lee said – “To be voted as the Championship Player of the Year by my fellow players and coaches was amazing. Winning two awards in one night made the evening incredibly special and I’d like to thank all those who voted for me”.
Championship Young Player of the Year
Tyler Reeve of Teesside PFC
Tyler said – “I was surprised and delighted to be awarded the Championship Young Player of the Year award. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who voted for me.
I feel honoured that I received the award as there are so many talented young players in the league. I can’t wait to be back on the pitch”.
Championship Head Coach of the Year
Jamie Harrison of Newcastle United PFC
Jamie said – “Firstly and most importantly I would like to thank the group of players I have had the privilege of working with this season. Secondly, I would like to thank everyone that voted for me as Coach of the Year; it’s extremely rewarding to know that people within the sport appreciate the work that you do.
Finally, I would like to thank Rob Thompson – he may not be seen on the sidelines at weekends or coach the weekly sessions but the work he does behind the scenes both on and off the court cannot be underestimated”.
Championship Team of the Year
Newcastle United PFC
They said – “Thanks to everyone who voted for Newcastle United PFC as Championship Team of the Year. We entered the season with an approach which involved attacking progressive football whilst also developing exciting young players and placing full trust in them at all stages throughout the year.
Credit goes to everyone in the team and the club as a whole. We look forward to our debut season in the Premiership”.
Championship Top Goalscorer
Lee Armstrong of Newcastle United PFC
Lee said – “Being top goal scorer is a big personal achievement of mine as I’ve never won it before in the league. I must give credit to my team and Jamie for me getting me there this season”.
Championship Goal of the Season
Thomas Mett of Teesside PFC
Tom said- “I felt honoured to win goal of the season. I was very emotional as I shared the moment with my family watching the awards on the TV.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
FAIR PLAY AWARD
Brighton & Hove Albion PFC
First Recruitment Services (FRS), one of the South’s leading independent recruitment agencies, proudly sponsored this year’s Fair Play Award.
It was a wonderful surprise for Andrew Kaltz, CEO at FRS, to discover that the winners were the Brighton & Hove Albion Powerchair Football Club, with Kaltz being a season ticket holder and a life-long fan Brighton.
Despite an extremely challenging year for the Brighton & Hove Albion Powerchair Football team off the court, on the court, the have displayed exemplary passion, determination and of course, fair play to make them worthy winners of this year’s award.
Barry O’Leary Services to Powerchair Football Award
One of the final awards of the night was the Barry O’Leary Services to Powerchair Football award. Proudly supported by The Muscle Help Foundation, this award was created to recognise for individuals that have contributed substantial time and expertise to help develop and grow the sport of Powerchair Football.
In regards to the award, Ryan Sipple said –
“We all know how much of a pillar Barry was in the Powerchair community. Due to his deep ties with The Muscle Help Foundation, we reached out to CEO and Founder, Michael McGrath, to see if he would be on board with supporting an annual award named after Barry that would recognise individuals who have selflessly given to the sport. Without hesitation, we had the complete backing of Michael and the Muscle Help Foundation which was amazing!
We all know how challenging this year has been for Karen, Ryan and Liam, so we hope this small gesture can show them how much he meant to us all.
We were all absolutely delighted to announce Paul Gorman as the inaugural winner of the award. Paul’s selfless dedication to both the sport of Powerchair Football and the people around him make him a fitting winner of this prestigious award.”
Paul Gorman of Leeds PFC was the inaugural winner of the award. He said –
“I had no idea I had been nominated for the award. I only realised after it was mentioned on the stream – what a surprise that was!
Considering the wealth of experience that both Steve and Carolyn have amassed over the years I was honoured just to be nominated.
I have a lot of people to thank – Michael McGrath for his kind words during the presentation. The O’Leary family for setting up the award in the memory of an inspiring man and of course my football family at Leeds PFC.
I have always considered myself as the conductor of a magnificently talented orchestra in Leeds PFC. I am truly humbled that the work I am involved in has been recognised, I fully intend to continue and not rest upon my laurels. Watch this space.”
The WFA Lifetime Achievement Award
On its fifteen-year anniversary, the Wheelchair Football Association created a prestigious Lifetime Achievement award which was proudly presented to former WFA Chair and current FIPFA President, Ricky Stevenson.
Ricky said-
