Australian football celebrates its best of the best
Australian football has a lot to celebrate and festivities continued when the entire football community gathered for the first time to mark the Australian Football Awards on Thursday night.
The Awards are Football Federation Australia's (FFA) newest initiative to recognise players at a professional and non professional level, as well as volunteers, coaches and referees.
The judging panel included FFA Board members, FFA CEO Ben Buckley, and media representatives from News Ltd, Fairfax and football magazine, 4-4-2.
"The Australian Football Awards are unique by bringing together the professional and non-professional elements of our game.
"They emphasise the continuum from grassroots through to the elite levels of the sport, and what we have in common as players, fans, supporters and administrators," said Buckley.
In the professional category, Qantas Socceroo Mark Schwarzer and Newcastle Jets player and former Westfield Matilda Joanne Peters were awarded Footballer of the Year for their achievements at both a club and international level. In the U20 Footballer of the Year category Adelaide United's Daniel Mullen and Central Coast Mariners Kyah Simons secured the title.
The competition was fierce in the non professional category with nominations for Team of the Year streaming through from the public earlier this year. But there could only be one winner and it was 15 local boys from Lilli Pilli FC U16A in New South Wales who took home the national prize.
But the awards did not stop at the players - volunteers, coaches and referees at a grass roots level were recognised for their outstanding efforts.
It is estimated that around 150,000 'mums and dads' volunteer in some capacity to work in football clubs around the country, but it was Trevor Kirk from Gympie in Queensland who impressed the judges with his initiatives earning him the Volunteer of the Year spot.
Stan Mitchell from Banks in the ACT and Raeanne Dower from Bracken Ridge in Queensland were recognised for their outstanding achievement in coaching performance. Meanwhile young Luke Mackney of Goonellabah in New South Wales, nabbed the Referee of the Year title for his maturity, dedication, pride and enthusiasm as a referee.
Glenn Thompson from Borroloola in the Northern Territory was awarded FFA's top honour for his dedication and commitment to Community Service. For more than a decade Glenn has been a proud supporter of football and been instrumental in promoting the game in the rural town of Borroloola to Indigenous youth. More recently his team, the Borroloola Cyclones, placed fifth at the 2009 Arafura Games.
"The high calibre of nominations received in each category of the Awards is testament to the broad appeal of football in our country both at a professional and non professional level," said Buckley.
Winners of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) and Football Media Association of Australia (FMA) Awards were also revealed at the gala Awards ceremony, at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney before an audience of more than 450 people including Qantas Socceroos and Westfield Matildas stars.
The FMA International Footballer of the Year was also won by Mark Schwarzer, while the PFA Player of the Year went to Tim Cahill and the U-23 Harry Kewell Medal Winner to Nikita Rukayvytsa.