West Riding FA has been successfully shortlisted for the Facility Development Award at the 2023 County FA Recognition Awards for its Grass Pitch Improvements project.

The Awards, which will be announced at Wembley Stadium connected by EE on Thursday 23 November 2023, 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.

A record breaking 242 submissions have been entered from the 50 County FAs operating across England, highlighting continuous improvements and showcasing how they are innovating to improve grassroots football and increase participation across all levels of the game. 

The 12 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

West Riding FA has made the final shortlist for the Facility Development Award for the work that has been done on addressing the issue of poor-quality grass pitches across the County. Upskilling the Groundskeeper workforce, identifying key sites to improve, supporting the clubs and organisations with application support and driving change at Local Authority level were all key aspects of the project.

Hannah Simpson, West Riding FA CEO, said “We are absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted for our commitment in supporting clubs and organisations in their quest to improve their grass pitches. This recognition is testament to our mission to improve the playing experience for everyone involved.”

The FA’s Head of Operations for Grassroots Football, Tim Foster, added: “I’d like to congratulate West Riding FA in making the final shortlist for the Facility Development Award and all of the other shortlisted County FAs in what has been a record-breaking number of submissions this year. 

"It has been fantastic to see such a strong selection of programmes and projects entered across the twelve categories, and we look forward to hosting our County FAs at Wembley Stadium in November to thank them for all they do in serving our national game.”

For more information on the work of County FAs, click here.