Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA has been successfully shortlisted in the Youth Engagement category at the 2023 County FA Recognition Awards.

The Awards, which will be announced at Wembley Stadium connected by EE on Thursday 23 November 2023, 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.

A record breaking 242 submissions have been entered from the 50 County FAs operating across England, highlighting continuous improvements 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

Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA has made the final shortlist in the Youth Engagement category for visiting primary schools in Sheffield and Rotherham to conduct focus sessions with girls aged 5-11.

The aim of the study was to gain an understanding of the factors that influence girls participation in football and share the findings with local schools.

The study identified three key themes: opportunities inside and outside school, stereotypes in football and the influence parents and guardians can have on participation in football.

The results were summarised in a Girls Football School guide, which included recommendations and key insights to raise awareness of the opportunities available to teachers to ensure every girl has the option to play football at the earliest opportunity.

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

“I’d like to congratulate Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA in making the final shortlist in the Youth Engagement category and all of the other shortlisted County FAs in what has been a record-breaking number of submissions this year.

It has been fantastic to see such a strong selection of programmes and projects entered across the twelve categories, and we look forward to hosting our County FAs at Wembley Stadium in November to thank them for all they do in serving our national game.”

Click here for more information on the work of County FAs.