Kent FA has been successfully shortlisted for four awards at the County FA Recognition Awards 2024 for the Kent Coaches Club within the Coach Development category, Celebrating Diversity Series within the ED&I category, Pitches Cup within the Facility Development category and Women's Casual League in the Women's & Girls category. 

Coach Development Category - Kent FA Coaches Club

The programme allows coaches to grow their learning and develop new connections within the industry through high-quality CPD opportunities across multiple areas, formats, and groups in the game. 

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Category - Celebrating Diversity Series

Kent FA's Celebrating Diversity in Football Series celebrates and recognises the importance of diversity in football through five events across the season to enhance understanding and use of the EDI calendar.

Facility Development Category - The Kent FA Pitches Cup

A social media competition where grass pitches competed in a "fixtures" FA-Cup-style competition with the scoreline and the winner of each fixture being decided by public vote based on a photo of the pitch, presenting a unique way of highlighting the incredible work of grounds volunteers with limited resources.

Women & Girls Category - Women's Casual League

The Women's Causal League launched in September 2023 as an over-30s provision. It provides a less conventional football offering for Women aged 30+ to enter or, for some, re-enter the game, with the removal of as many barriers as possible.

Darryl Haden, Kent FA CEO said: "We are thrilled and deeply honoured that our programs have been shortlisted for these prestigious awards. This recognition is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and innovation of our entire team. It reflects our commitment to excellence and our relentless pursuit of creating impactful solutions for our Kent football community. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the judges and congratulate all the other nominees who share this honour with us. We look forward to attending Wembley for the Awards evening in November."

The FA's Head of Operations for Grassroots Football, Tim Foster, added: "I'd like to congratulate Kent FA on making the final shortlist for the Coaching Development, Women & Girls, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, and Facility Development awards. 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."

About the County FA Recognition Awards

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