Post by QPR Report on Mar 10, 2010 13:59:44 GMT
Congrats 
Football League
SHORTLIST IN FOCUS: COMMUNITY PLAYER
Posted on: 10.03.2010
The 2010 Football League Awards take place on Sunday 14th March and all this week in the build-up to the prestigious ceremony we will be focusing on those in contention to receive awards on the night. Here we look at the 'PFA Player In The Community Award' and highlight those players that have made a real impact off the pitch this season through the hours of community work they have put in.
PFA PLAYER IN THE COMMUNITY
JUDGING CRITERIA:
Judges were looking to recognise the player whose involvement in the community has gone above and beyond that which would normally be expected, either across a broad range of community programmes or in support of one particular activity.
SHORTLIST:
JULIAN BENNETT: NOTTINGHAM FOREST
In December 2008 Julian unfortunately suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury and so during the time he was out injured he decided to focus his energy on helping his local community. Julian, with the help of a local college, decided to help out with the 'Balls to Poverty Campaign'. As part of the campaign, Julian, 2 club officials and 34 students and staff from South Nottingham College spent 2 weeks in South Africa distributing footballs and taking part in coaching clinics. As well as this particular project, Julian devotes a lot of his time to colleges and schools in the Meadows area of Nottingham supporting a range of projects. It is also because of Julian's passion for the community of Nottingham that the 'City United' initiative has been set up which helps people from deprived areas of Nottingham and it is this intiative that is closest to his heart. The results now being seen from that campaign are astonishing and are only truly accountable due to the dedication of the defender in making a difference in his home city. Julian's efforts have been picked up by local papers and so City United keeps on going from strength to strength. The judges felt Julian's work gives an impressive sense of a player who is still in touch with his community, clearly keen to both put something back and lead by example. It has also clearly had an impact on Julian, with him saying "I've had my eyes opened both at home and in Africa and now I'm fully aware as a professional footballer how much we can influence young people in their day to day life."
ANDY BOOTH: HUDDERSFIELD TOWN
The list of Andy's community involvement stretches across many sheets of paper with a massive 139 appearances in the community in 2009! Andy has been with the club for 14 years so has developed a strong standing within the local community as well as the club itself. Among the many initiatives that Andy has lent himself to are visits to hospitals to see sick and injured children, 5-a-side fundraising competitions, university competitions, school open days and many organised football matches/community events through different associations, people and local charities. The judges felt Andy is a truly great servant to his club and community who is heavily involved in various projects and very highly regarded. The time and level of commitment that Andy has put into the community of Huddersfield and surrounding areas is astonishing and the press coverage of the events he organises and attends confirms this. Andy reflects on 2009 as being "an incredible year for me, not only as my playing career finished but it has now taken a new direction in contributing to the Club and the community. This opportunity is now giving me the chance to repay the community that has supported me over the years".
PETER LEVEN: MILTON KEYNES DONS
The dedication that Peter has given to one particular charity is outstanding and it is no wonder he has been put forward for this nomination with what he has achieved. This season Peter has set up many different events to raise money for Help for Heroes' including donating £5.00 for every goal Milton Keynes Dons score during the 2009/10 season, setting up his own JustGiving page to encourage donations and being the inspiration behind the Club's first ever Armed Forces Day against Yeovil Town. Peter also got in touch with The Sun newspaper to attract further donations and awareness of his campaign. This encouraged one betting company to commit to ensuring whatever Peter raised over the course of the season, they would double the sum. Peter's dedication to Help for Heroes' has spanned the entire season not just a few weeks and led the judging panel to describe his efforts as inspirational and having made a real impact through personal commitment that goes way beyond the norm. The positive feedback this campaign has received is overwhelming, from newspapers to soldiers, everyone has praised not only the ideas behind Peter's campaign's but also Peter himself. The work Peter has done for Help for Heroes this season has made him realise how important it has been to his own community - "As a British Citizen, I've always admired the bravery of the men and women in our Armed Forces - they put their lives at stake for Queen and country on a daily basis. "I've seen people losing limbs and they need proper support, both physically and mentally. The work being done by Help for Heroes is going a long way to improving the care they receive. The local relevance of this has amazed me, I knew that there were active military bases operating in and around Milton Keynes, but bringing them all together as we did for our Armed Forces Day reminded us all that this affects people in our own backyard".
ZESH REHMAN: BRADFORD CITY
"The quality and depth of the community work undertaken by Zesh is outstanding, to such an extent that it is hard to summarise everything he has done! Zesh excels in public speaking and has spoken to schools and colleges in and around Bradford. As club captain, his role in the community is crucial and he attends many school presentations, prize giving's and question and answer sessions. On top of this Zesh is Ambassador for the Club's Princes Trust and Kick It Out projects while he has entered the Show Racism the Red Card Hall of Fame. His influence as an Asian footballer is portrayed through such campaigns and helps raise children's aspirations and shows that children can achieve their dreams, regardless of their race. It is his honesty in reflecting on such issues in football that allow children to see what barriers can be put in their way and what they can do to overcome them. As one of the few Asian professional footballers he works to encourage cohesion within the community. The judges found Zesh to be a great communicator, leader and role model - a National Ambassador who is comfortable being charged with the job of uniting a multicultural community. Zesh himself is clearly aware of what can be achieved, saying "Football is the perfect vehicle to bring people and communities together, it is all about integration."
www.football-league.co.uk/flawards/news/20100310/shortlist-in-focus-community-player_2246530_1988333
Football League
SHORTLIST IN FOCUS: COMMUNITY PLAYER
Posted on: 10.03.2010
The 2010 Football League Awards take place on Sunday 14th March and all this week in the build-up to the prestigious ceremony we will be focusing on those in contention to receive awards on the night. Here we look at the 'PFA Player In The Community Award' and highlight those players that have made a real impact off the pitch this season through the hours of community work they have put in.
PFA PLAYER IN THE COMMUNITY
JUDGING CRITERIA:
Judges were looking to recognise the player whose involvement in the community has gone above and beyond that which would normally be expected, either across a broad range of community programmes or in support of one particular activity.
SHORTLIST:
JULIAN BENNETT: NOTTINGHAM FOREST
In December 2008 Julian unfortunately suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury and so during the time he was out injured he decided to focus his energy on helping his local community. Julian, with the help of a local college, decided to help out with the 'Balls to Poverty Campaign'. As part of the campaign, Julian, 2 club officials and 34 students and staff from South Nottingham College spent 2 weeks in South Africa distributing footballs and taking part in coaching clinics. As well as this particular project, Julian devotes a lot of his time to colleges and schools in the Meadows area of Nottingham supporting a range of projects. It is also because of Julian's passion for the community of Nottingham that the 'City United' initiative has been set up which helps people from deprived areas of Nottingham and it is this intiative that is closest to his heart. The results now being seen from that campaign are astonishing and are only truly accountable due to the dedication of the defender in making a difference in his home city. Julian's efforts have been picked up by local papers and so City United keeps on going from strength to strength. The judges felt Julian's work gives an impressive sense of a player who is still in touch with his community, clearly keen to both put something back and lead by example. It has also clearly had an impact on Julian, with him saying "I've had my eyes opened both at home and in Africa and now I'm fully aware as a professional footballer how much we can influence young people in their day to day life."
ANDY BOOTH: HUDDERSFIELD TOWN
The list of Andy's community involvement stretches across many sheets of paper with a massive 139 appearances in the community in 2009! Andy has been with the club for 14 years so has developed a strong standing within the local community as well as the club itself. Among the many initiatives that Andy has lent himself to are visits to hospitals to see sick and injured children, 5-a-side fundraising competitions, university competitions, school open days and many organised football matches/community events through different associations, people and local charities. The judges felt Andy is a truly great servant to his club and community who is heavily involved in various projects and very highly regarded. The time and level of commitment that Andy has put into the community of Huddersfield and surrounding areas is astonishing and the press coverage of the events he organises and attends confirms this. Andy reflects on 2009 as being "an incredible year for me, not only as my playing career finished but it has now taken a new direction in contributing to the Club and the community. This opportunity is now giving me the chance to repay the community that has supported me over the years".
PETER LEVEN: MILTON KEYNES DONS
The dedication that Peter has given to one particular charity is outstanding and it is no wonder he has been put forward for this nomination with what he has achieved. This season Peter has set up many different events to raise money for Help for Heroes' including donating £5.00 for every goal Milton Keynes Dons score during the 2009/10 season, setting up his own JustGiving page to encourage donations and being the inspiration behind the Club's first ever Armed Forces Day against Yeovil Town. Peter also got in touch with The Sun newspaper to attract further donations and awareness of his campaign. This encouraged one betting company to commit to ensuring whatever Peter raised over the course of the season, they would double the sum. Peter's dedication to Help for Heroes' has spanned the entire season not just a few weeks and led the judging panel to describe his efforts as inspirational and having made a real impact through personal commitment that goes way beyond the norm. The positive feedback this campaign has received is overwhelming, from newspapers to soldiers, everyone has praised not only the ideas behind Peter's campaign's but also Peter himself. The work Peter has done for Help for Heroes this season has made him realise how important it has been to his own community - "As a British Citizen, I've always admired the bravery of the men and women in our Armed Forces - they put their lives at stake for Queen and country on a daily basis. "I've seen people losing limbs and they need proper support, both physically and mentally. The work being done by Help for Heroes is going a long way to improving the care they receive. The local relevance of this has amazed me, I knew that there were active military bases operating in and around Milton Keynes, but bringing them all together as we did for our Armed Forces Day reminded us all that this affects people in our own backyard".
ZESH REHMAN: BRADFORD CITY
"The quality and depth of the community work undertaken by Zesh is outstanding, to such an extent that it is hard to summarise everything he has done! Zesh excels in public speaking and has spoken to schools and colleges in and around Bradford. As club captain, his role in the community is crucial and he attends many school presentations, prize giving's and question and answer sessions. On top of this Zesh is Ambassador for the Club's Princes Trust and Kick It Out projects while he has entered the Show Racism the Red Card Hall of Fame. His influence as an Asian footballer is portrayed through such campaigns and helps raise children's aspirations and shows that children can achieve their dreams, regardless of their race. It is his honesty in reflecting on such issues in football that allow children to see what barriers can be put in their way and what they can do to overcome them. As one of the few Asian professional footballers he works to encourage cohesion within the community. The judges found Zesh to be a great communicator, leader and role model - a National Ambassador who is comfortable being charged with the job of uniting a multicultural community. Zesh himself is clearly aware of what can be achieved, saying "Football is the perfect vehicle to bring people and communities together, it is all about integration."
www.football-league.co.uk/flawards/news/20100310/shortlist-in-focus-community-player_2246530_1988333
