Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA has been shortlisted in the Football Development category at the County FA Recognition Awards 2024 for its development project with the Rotherham and District Sunday League.

The Awards, which will be announced at Wembley Stadium connected by EE on Thursday 7 November 2024, 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.

Over 225 nominations have been entered from the 50 County FAs operating across England, highlighting exceptional delivery 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 and Hallamshire County FA has made the final shortlist for the Football Development category in recognition of its collaboration with the Rotherham and District Sunday League – the region's largest open age 11v11 league – on a range of projects.

The County FA has worked closely with the League to increase the number of match officials, set up FA Just Play sessions for lapsed or new players, support existing clubs with training and CPD opportunities, and achieve England Football Accredited League status.

Leon Dearns, Adult Football Development Officer at the Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA, led on the project:

"Its fantastic to be nominated for this project and see the league its member clubs' proactiveness and dedication recognised for working on this project with us.

"We have taken some great learnings from this new way of working closer with leagues, which we will be using with other local leagues in future seasons." 

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

“I’d like to congratulate Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA in making the final shortlist for the Football Development award. We’ve had some outstanding submissions this year, once again highlighting the crucial role County FAs play in their local communities, ensuring accessible opportunities across all football formats and creating a fun and safe environment for all.

“We look forward to celebrating the achievements of our County FAs at Wembley Stadium in November and thanking everyone involved for their efforts across the season.”

For more information on the work of County FAs, visit: www.englandfootball.com/explore/county-football-associations