To celebrate those individuals who strive to keep the grassroots game safe and enjoyable, we're looking for nominations for the ‘Welfare Officer’ category of our #CelebrateEssex Twitter competition by Wednesday 10th October.

#CelebrateEssex, organised via @EssexCountyFA on Twitter, promotes inspirational personal examples and stories, encouraging new faces to get involved and grow the grassroots community. Once nominations close, a select group will be chosen for a Twitter poll to identify the monthly hero, who’ll receive a prize and extra public plaudits.

September is the month of the ‘Welfare Officer’ category. A proficient welfare officer ensures their club or league operates a safe, child-friendly environment and promotes good practice in-line with their Child Protection Policy. They may also be responsible for ensuring any Adults at Risk within their club or league can enjoy secure football participation.

Nominations for each month’s #CelebrateEssex category are collected, analysed and whittled down into candidates for a Twitter online poll/vote. This lasts for seven days, after which a winner is named and celebrated. Previously Frinton & Walton Youth’s Lisa Ursell became the ‘Footie Mum’ victor and five-year-old Grays Athletic fan Millie claimed the ‘Supporter’ triumph.

Concord Rangers’ Jack Smith won the ‘Treasurer’ category in May. In June, Jason Plunkett was recognised as Essex’s best ‘Footie Dad’ and Keith Di Palma from Tigers JFC was the winning ‘Chairperson’ in July. In August, Robert Hutchings-Spiller of South Benfleet United and Leigh Town was the #CelebrateEssex ‘Manager’.

Jamie Wright from Chigwell FC was then the ‘Secretary’ victor. The competition has proved to be popular so far, and future months will also eventually feature: November: Young Volunteer, December: Fundraiser, January: Groundsperson, February: Coach.

Stage One: Make Your Nomination on Twitter

If you know a Welfare Officer who you think should receive some special thanks, anyone can make a nomination by tweeting (by 10th October):

“I nominate [Insert Name/Handle] as @EssexCountyFA #CelebrateEssex Welfare Officer 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 poll/vote...

Stage Three: Let Voting Commence!

A Twitter poll/vote 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 winner of the poll will be contacted to be that month’s ‘Volunteer of the Month’, who’ll receive a prize plus promotional activities to celebrate their work.

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