Do you know a youth football coach who empowers players to make their own decisions? Does your adult team’s manager provide opportunities for everyone to play the game? They could win our #CelebrateEssex ‘Coach’ award in February!

The monthly Twitter competition recognises the unpaid efforts of grassroots volunteer legends and this month is the turn of coaches, with a ‘Youth’ and an ‘Adult’ category up for grabs when the contest reaches the voting stage. Nominations are required by Wednesday 19th February.

#CelebrateEssex showcases profiles of local football heroes, increasing their visibility as role models to engage new members and inspire them to join the grassroots community as volunteers. The County FA are inviting coach nominations before the deadline, when submissions will be assessed to decide who’ll feature in polls to identify the latest winners.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of grassroots football, putting in countless hours of their time so others can enjoy playing. The game needs more helpers, but it also needs to retain and recognise those already involved. Through this monthly Twitter competition, #CelebrateEssex aims to do just that, promoting ten different roles throughout the year.

Excellent coaches take ownership of the development of their players, who can experience a variety of opportunities to learn the game, including rotating positions and fair playing time. They provide an ideal, positive environment, using age-appropriate language.

Successful coaches allow their players to have the freedom to play and express themselves, supporting and encouraging them to develop independently, too. Youth coaches also have the added quality of communicating effectively with players’ parents.

February’s category is updated with two awards for 2019/20 and has been scheduled to coincide with the imminent release of a new range of coach education course dates. Future categories will feature: March: Footie Mum, April: Treasurer, May: Secretary, June: Chairperson.

#CelebrateEssex captured the imagination of the community during 2018/19, resulting in media coverage plus thousands of Twitter interactions. 104 nominations were made, with 8,703 votes cast, and all nominees were publicly thanked.

Stage One: Make Your Nomination on Twitter

If you know a Coach who you think should receive some special thanks, anyone can make a nomination by tweeting (by 19th February):

“I nominate [Insert Name or Twitter Username] from [Insert Club/Team or Twitter Username] as the @EssexCountyFA #CelebrateEssex Coach winner because…”

State why your nominee should be the winner and be as descriptive as you can in 280 characters! It’s important to use the #CelebrateEssex hashtag to ensure your entry is registered.

Stage Two: Nominations Reviewed

Once the window closes, all the nominations received will be collated and a panel will decide which individuals will be progressed to the Twitter polls/votes...

Stage Three: Let Voting Commence!

Twitter polls/votes will be available at @EssexCountyFA for seven days, featuring profiles of the nominees so voters can make an informed decision on who to vote for.

Stage Four: And Our Winner Is…

The winners of the polls will be contacted to be that month’s ‘Volunteers of the Month’, who’ll receive a prize, publicity and an invitation to the Essex County FA’s 2020 Awards Evening.

Follow the #CelebrateEssex hashtag on Twitter to keep track of the competition! To find out more about volunteering in grassroots Essex football, browse the 'Volunteers' menu above, follow @EssexCountyFA on Twitter and search for ‘EssexFootball’ on Facebook.

#CelebrateEssex Terms and Conditions

* prizes must relate to the category the individual has won
* previous category winners are ineligible for 2019/20 nomination
* irregular voting patterns could result in the suspension of a category