Leicestershire & Rutland County FA

From grassroots beginnings to captaining Leicester City through its most historic era, Wes Morgan's journey is a story of resilience, leadership, and pride. As part of our Black History Month: Standing Firm in Power and Pride series, Wes shares the importance of representation and inspiring the next generation. 🔗 Read the full feature: http://bit.ly/3WKiszm #LRCFABHM #BHM2025 #InspiringPositiveChange

Over 300 people from our grassroots football family came together last month for the 2025 LRCFA Grassroots Football Recognition Awards. 🏆 Hosted by Ian Stringer, the evening celebrated the incredible volunteers, coaches, referees, and clubs inspiring positive change across Leicestershire and Rutland. Read more about the night: https://bit.ly/4hcbhtn #LRCFAAwards

🏆 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 – David Jamieson🏆 The Gerry Cooper Award is one of the most prestigious honours in the #LRCFAAwards. Named after former Chair and President Gerry Cooper, this award recognises a Football Council or Life Member who has made an outstanding and lasting contribution to the Association. This year’s winner is David Jamieson, who has dedicated over 50 years of service to football. From his long-standing role as a Council Member, to many years as Chairman of the County FA, to representing us on the FA Council and its committees, David’s influence has been felt locally, regionally, and nationally. He has been central to the development of Holmes Park, contributed to shaping the structure of the game, and has always championed the interests of our Association. 👏 David’s knowledge, passion, and half a century of commitment make him a truly deserving recipient of the Gerry Cooper Award. Everyone at the Leicestershire & Rutland County FA wishes David a heartfelt thank you for everything he has done for our Association and the game. #LRCFAAwards

🏆 𝗜𝘃𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗻 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 – Tanveer Deodhar🏆 The Ivor Finn Award is named in honour of Ivor Finn, a former Council member and founding figure of the Mutual League. Known for his calm, patient nature and passion for driving football forward, this award recognises someone who shares the same values and commitment to grassroots football in our county. Since arriving from India in 2023, Tanveer has made an incredible impact on grassroots football in Leicestershire & Rutland. Alongside his studies at Loughborough University, he has supported Ellistown Football Club as Business Manager, worked with Asfordby Amateurs Ladies, Girls & Inclusive FC to secure vital partnerships, and carried out research into how the County FA supports local clubs. His acceptance into the FA Leadership Academy gave him the tools and confidence to take on more responsibility, leading to roles on the Football Council, Youth Council, and the Respect working group. Now, Tanveer has recently accepted a role on the The FA National Youth Council as Community Engagement Lead: North, where he will continue to champion youth voices and grassroots development. 👏 A leader, innovator, and true advocate for grassroots football who has given so much back to the community that welcomed him. #LRCFAAwards

🚀 𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺! Leicestershire & Rutland County FA is hiring a Coach Development Officer to lead coaching growth across the county. If you’re passionate about building a sustainable, inclusive coaching workforce, this is your chance. ⏰ Deadline: 12pm, Monday 20 October 2025 🗓️ Interviews: Tuesday 28 October 2025 👉 Read more and apply here: https://ow.ly/G0l550X78xf

On the last weekend of September, we took part in the national #PlaySafe campaign, in partnership with The FA and NSPCC, to put a spotlight on safeguarding in football. Across Leicestershire & Rutland, we gained the views of over 230 youth players, giving us valuable insight into their experiences at their clubs. Here are some of the headline stats: ✅ 99% of young players feel safe or very safe at their club ✅ 75% said their club does a good job at listening to young people ✅ Football makes players feel happy, confident, proud, and excited ✅ The most valued part of football is friends and being part of a team This year’s theme, “small talk is bigger than you think”, reminds us how powerful open conversations can be. As trusted adults in sport, we can make a real difference by listening, asking, and supporting young people. 💬 We’re also backing this year’s NSPCC Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport Week (6–12 October 2025), which encourages parents and carers to play their part by talking to their children about how they can bring out their best through positive actions and support. A huge thank you to every club, coach, volunteer, and parent who plays their part in keeping football a safe and positive environment for all. #PlaySafe #LRCFA #Safeguarding

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄? In 2024, we reached a huge milestone by achieving compliance with the FA’s Code of Governance. This shows our commitment to the highest standards in running the game locally. ✅ Learn more in our 2024/25 Season Review ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/eDwa7mbF #LRCFA

𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀! 🏆 Leicestershire & Rutland County FA has been shortlisted for three categories at the County FA Recognition Awards 2025, taking place at Wembley Stadium in November. This year, we are proud finalists in: ✅ 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 – Positive People ✅ 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 – Homeless Open Opportunities Football League ✅ 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 – A thriving, modern and fit-for-purpose governance structure This is the second year running we’ve been recognised for Employee Wellbeing & Engagement, after winning the award in 2024. It reflects our continued commitment to creating a positive, supportive culture for staff. We’re also proud that both our HOOF League project and our governance reforms have been celebrated nationally for their innovation, inclusion, and impact. 👉 Read more about our shortlisted projects here: https://ow.ly/S2w150X535o #LRCFA

We’re delighted to welcome PSA Financial Services Ltd as our Title Sponsor of Referee Development for the 2025/26 season! 👏 This exciting partnership will help us recognise, celebrate, and support referees across Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland through: ⚽ Referee Celebration Events 📚 Annual Referee Summit 🏆 County Cup Appointments Evening Together, we’re committed to building an inclusive and thriving referee community. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ehUr9pim #LRCFARefereeing #RefereeDevelopment