ROOT WON FOOTBALL
Time to choose People’s Champion
For 14 years, the Sunday Mail and McDonald’s have been giving Scottish football’s unsung heroes the chance to step from the shadows through our Grassroots awards.
Now we’re asking you to helpelp us give them more of thee recognition they’re due forr keeping the heart of ourr national game beating.
We’ll recognise the creamm of the crop from nominationss you’ve been sending in alll summer at a gala dinner att Hampden on September 21,1, with McDonald’s Director of Football and Scotland legendd Kenny Dalglish and nationalal team boss Gordon Strachann presenting the awards.
An expert panel has alreadydy sifted through hundreds of entries to pick winners inn youth, women’s, adult, schoolsls and disabled football.
We’ve also taken three of Scot t ish footbal l ’ s most outstanding servants and all of them will be recognised through the People’s Awards.
But we want YOU to pick the winner of our ultimate prize, the Merit Award for Services to Grassroots Football.
Head to grassroots.scottishfa. co.uk/peoples-choice, read their stories, watch the videos and cast your vote.
Here are the volunteers who give their all to the game. Who are you putting on the stage?
JANE LAVERY
(Pollok Utd Soccer Academy) Despite her fami ly being steeped in footbal l , Jane’s biggest regret is let t ing stereotypes stop her getting involved in the game sooner.
Now she is, Jane’s more than making up for lost time.
Battling through a health scare of her own, she still put herself second behind the opportunity she wanted to provide for the young girls in her area to experience not just football but the team spirit which comes with it.
Running the Under-9s and 11s girls teams at Pollok United Soccer Academy and helping with their growing disability group is just the tip of the iceberg
when it comes to the time and heart she commits to the club.
She said: “It just never seemed right for so long that women got involved in the game but the opportunity came and I grabbed it. I’m just gutted it took so long.”
KEVIN O’NEIL
(Blantyre Soccer Academy) Blantyre were named best Community Club at last year’s awards but this time Kevin is getting the recognition he deserves for his commitment to a pathway involving more than 400 kids from all walks of life.
A former Junior Cup winner with Pollok, the 44-year- old is
now the Head of Academy after seven years putting in countless hours on and off the pitch.
He also takes huge pride in organising a 4000-strong festival in honour of Reamonn Gormley, a former neighbour and Blantyre player murdered on his way home from a Celtic game in 2011. PHIL HOPE
(Carnoustie Panmure FC) Phil is chairman as well as a passionate coach within the club’s U-17s youth section – but he’s also the man who simply makes things happen.
Overseeing the coming together of four separate clubs to create one community club for the area, he then set about campaigning for the facilities he felt local kids deserved.
Phi l ’s determination and dedication over four years has helped bring about a Community Asset Transfer which has seen the club blossom with new grass pitches and a floodlit astroturf.
He has created a mental health football programme with Alzheimer Scotland, tackling dementia with a Football Memories group and light exercise, as well as an over-35s team, a walking football team and a walking netball team.