If you’ve spotted individuals at local football matches who are worthy of being recognised for a specific example of sportsmanship, then they could be exactly what we're looking for when we decide who our Fair Play Award winner will be in March.

Grassroots players, coaches, referees, volunteers and spectators are invited to celebrate the people who keep local football a safe and enjoyable place to play by submitting a nomination on Facebook by Tuesday 31st March. Previous winners have been responsible for outstanding moments of fair play or going ‘over and above’ in the name of excellent conduct.

Sportsmanship in grassroots football during March could earn a reward, with nominations being welcomed for a limited time. Monthly winners are being awarded throughout the season, building towards an overall vote for the 2019/20 victors in June.

As part of our 2018-21 ‘Moving Forward’ Strategy, we aim to promote exceptional conduct and celebrate the best elements of the game, encouraging similar behaviour in all formats of youth and adult football. A voucher will be awarded to the winners and Helen Hever, Essex County FA Designated Safeguarding Officer, is looking forward to assessing the nominations.

Helen said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to recognise everyone who embraces fair play, making the football experience more enjoyable for all involved. Football is, of course, a competitive game, so having an award for fair play gives us a chance to reward those who are nominated for their sportsmanship and attitude towards how the game should be played.”

Nominations are open until Tuesday 31st March to recognise fair play which took place in March. To put someone forward, comment on our Facebook post (search for ‘EssexFootball’) with these details: yours and the nominee’s name (club/team and age group, where applicable), a description of why your nominee should win. Good luck!

Essex County FA Fair Play Awards: February’s Winner!

Hutton Under 15s (Reds) (nominated by Adrian Summerfield)

“As a referee, I always look forward to doing a game for Hutton Under 15s (Reds), coached by Simon Larner. Despite being one of the leading teams in the Chelmsford Youth League Premier Division, which tends to increase the pressure on everyone involved, I always find that he is very relaxed with the matchday situations which occur.”

“This includes fair play in matches as I never get any trouble, even if I’ve seemingly got a decision wrong. His response to his team is usually “well the ref saw it differently,” meaning I can stay calmer when making a decision that goes against his team. This happened with a potential penalty decision in the final minute of the game this month, with the scores at 0-0.”

“The ball struck the opponents arm, which his team appealed, but I didn’t give it as the player’s arm was by his side and couldn’t move it out of the way. After the game, he calmly asked (as he was quite far from it): “why wasn’t it handball?” He accepted my answer then relayed it to his team. If only everyone involved stayed this calm, so referees wouldn’t have any worry making decisions.”