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England Football and McDonald’s Grassroots Awards

County FA Grassroots Awards

The Wheelchair Football Association would like to extend a huge congratulations to Frome Falcons PFC, Jenny Rutter and Cath McNicol for their respective achievements at the 2021 England Football and McDonald’s Grassroots Awards.

The England Football and McDonald’s Grassroots Awards are for people who make a positive difference. It’s to celebrate those who put their heart and soul into the grassroots game across England. The awards are split into ten different categories which anybody can nominate through the online nomination portal. County FAs select a local winner for each section from the public’s nominations. These form a shortlist for our national winners, awarded by a National Judging Panel. 

This year nearly 4,000 people took the time to tell The FA why they wanted to nationally thank and celebrate somebody for the work they do in Grassroots Football. 
 
The winners get invited to a special ceremony at Wembley stadium before the Community Shield.  They are presented their trophy on the hallowed turf at halftime of the match and they meet a variety of legends of the game. They are rewarded and recognised in their local area and receive a video about their work, professional photographs and imagery for their website so they can inspire more people in the Grassroots game.

Somerset County FA Grassroots Awards

Frome Falcons Powerchair FC – Local Award Winner of FA Grassroots Club of the Year;

The South West the club were recognised as the ‘Grassroots Club of the Year’ for their work on inclusivity, community and growth

Frome Falcons are the first and only Powerchair club within Somerset that provide a shining light on the diverse ranges of disability football we have within the county of Somerset.

The club has grown from strength to strength over the years with the club now having to incorporate a waiting list for players to be able to come and play. Jenny Rutter, Alex Johnson and all of the parent volunteers are a fantastic team of dedicated, passionate and enthusiastic individuals making this Frome Falcons a beacon for disability football within Somerset.

Jenny Rutter – Somerset FA Disability Coach of the Year;

In addition to the club award, the Falcons’ Head Coach, Jenny Rutter, was also presented as the ‘Disability Coach of the Year’.

Jenny does a tremendous amount of work, not only Frome Falcons but also the Powerchair Football landscape within the entire region. She has demonstrated time and time again how important Powerchair is, offering unique opportunities to those who thought that football wasn’t necessarily an option for them to take part in.

From starting and developing Frome Falcons to recently becoming Chair of the South West Powerchair Football League, Jenny has become a reliable, caring cornerstone of Powerchair Football.

On receiving the awards at a training session last month, Jenny said: “It was such a surprise to be presented with not one but two awards in front of all our members. Our committee have worked so hard to expand Frome Falcons so that as many people can be playing the sport of powerchair football as possible. These awards are for the players, coaches, volunteers, committee members and parents/PA’s that make up our football family. We are all so pleased and would like to thank Nick Hawkins and Somerset FA for their recognition”.

North Riding County FA Grassroots Awards

Cath McNicol – North Riding FA Grassroots Volunteer of the Year;

“Cath McNicol is a very worthy winner of the North Riding FA Grassroots Football Volunteer Award 2021. The application we received for Cath clearly highlighted her passion for the game she loves so much.

Cath shows all the values we look for in an Awards winner, demonstrating inclusivity, determination and respect. Without individuals like Cath, there would be no grassroots football; she is a real hero of the game.”