The finalists for the prestigious People’s Award at the McDonald’s Irish FA Grassroots Football Awards for 2024 have been announced.
Colin Caswell (Lisburn Youth) and Ben Dooher (Culmore Youth) are this year’s finalists and will each be hoping to be crowned as the national winner later this month.
The winner of the People’s Award will be announced at the national awards ceremony and will be determined by the public through online votes via the Irish FA website.
Online voting for the People’s Award is now open and will close at noon on Friday 18 October. For more information and to place your vote see below:
Colin Caswell set up Lisburn Youth over 50 years ago in 1972 and has been heavily involved in the club ever since. He has coached children from as young as four years old right up to U18 and players transitioning to senior football. Colin has coached several future Northern Ireland internationals throughout his time in grassroots football, including Linfield manager David Healy.
Ben Dooher took over as chair of Culmore Youth in Derry-Londonderry when the club was on the brink. In 2019 there were only 36 players, two teams and five coaches. Fast forward five years and the club has grown to over 250 players, 12 teams and 25 coaches under the stewardship of Ben, who has been hailed as a “shining light in the community”.
The annual McDonald’s Irish FA Grassroots Football Awards, which celebrate 24 years in Northern Ireland this year, recognise the unbelievable work and commitment of football clubs and volunteers who give up their time and make a long-lasting impact on young people and communities across Northern Ireland.
The national awards ceremony is due to take place later this month at Belfast City Hall.
The regional awards event was hosted recently at The National Football Stadium at Windsor Park where Northern Ireland legend and Fun Football Ambassador Pat Jennings presented the winners with their awards.
Pat Jennings said: "Without grassroots football volunteers none of this could happen.
“Through the years I have witnessed first hand the significant impact that McDonald’s Fun Football has had, and continues to have, on the lives of young people in Northern Ireland.
“It is fantastic to see that McDonald’s has reached 500,000 children across the UK since the new Fun Football programme launched in 2022.”
McDonald’s franchisee John McCollum said McDonald’s is passionate about feeding and fostering communities and supporting local families, adding that its commitment to grassroots football is a great way for the company to demonstrate that.
He also pointed out: “The Grassroots Football Awards give us a great opportunity to celebrate our local grassroots football heroes who are the beating heart of the game we all love here in Northern Ireland. Congratulations to the winners.”
In 2022 McDonald’s launched its new Fun Football programme, which will provide over one million 5–11-year-olds with the opportunity to enjoy free football coaching across the UK.
The programme will deliver more than 10.5 million hours of Fun Football by 2026, making it the largest grassroots participation programme in the UK. The programme is delivered in collaboration with the Irish FA, Scottish FA, The Football Association of Wales and a network of national coaching providers in England.
