MJPFL Club Leamington Hibs Take Prestigious Award

Leamington Hibs proudly took their place amongst the UKs footballing elite at Wembley on Saturday, winning the 2010 FA Respect Grassroots Club Award. In a prestigious awards ceremony held immediately before the FA Cup Final, Hibs received their award from His Royal Highness Prince William, President of the FA.

The Prince presented winners with the first ever Respect Awards, including the Barclays Premier League and Football League Fair Play Awards, and praised those clubs, leagues and individuals within the game who have continually sought to promote high standards of behaviour both on and off the pitch.

Hibs were praised for their young leaders programme and the ceremony featured a video shot down Newbold Comyn featuring interviews with club members and footage of Hibs Young Leaders and referees in action.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, HRH Prince William said:
“Unfashionable as the word may sound sportsmanship underpins everything good and worthwhile about our national game.  Sport and the way we play the game is hugely important. It lies at the very heart of our national culture and shapes our society. But sport to a great degree also reflects our society – good and bad.
For all its benefits, when aggression becomes brutality, when passion becomes disrespect for opponents, when the rules of the game and the principles of sportsmanship become obstacles to be bulldozed, sport can become detrimental to the individual and society.
What is so important about these Respect and Fair Play Awards is that they acknowledge and reward those who play fair and encourage fair play – true sportsmen and women. Everything about why I wanted to become President of the Football Association is encapsulated by what the winners this afternoon represent.  Whilst I remain President of the FA, promoting sportsmanship and stamping out the deplorable scenes that have blighted our game in the past, will be my goal.”

He went on to describe football as "the greatest game on earth" and said the Respect campaign still had "much to do".

Twelve categories of Awards were recognised including the prestigious Bobby Moore Award, which was presented to Malcolm Lee from Liverpool by the Prince and Bobby’s widow Stephanie Moore MBE, patron of the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK and an Awards Judge.
Judges included sports journalists Mick Dennis of the Daily Express and Jim White of the Daily Telegraph, as well as Stephanie Moore MBE of the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK. They were joined by The FA’s Sir Trevor Brooking (Director of Football Development), Jonathan Hall (Director of Football Services), Barry Bright (FA Council Member) and Alex Welsh of the London Playing Fields Association.
The honour of collecting the award on behalf of the club was given to Hibs Head of Foundation Football Stuart Turvey and Hibs Vice Chairman Susan Thwaites in recognition of their efforts to develop the club over the last 5 years.

Stuart Turvey -  “There are a number of people within the club who collectively volunteer a lifetime of hours to serve our members.  This award is a reflection of how hard Hibs are working to raise standards and set benchmarks that all other grassroots clubs can learn from”
Susan Thwaites – “The young leaders programme has been a huge success! Homegrown referees are now officialling local school cup finals and homegrown coaches being given opportunities to attend leaders camps across the county organized by the FA. This award serves to encourage us to invest more energy in the programme and provide more sporting opportunities for local teenagers”

At the pre-match dinner, club representatives joined fellow winners and award judges to discuss their achievements and next steps to continue to promote the campaign across the UK. Jim White of the Telegraph and best selling author of 'You'll Win Nothing With Kids' said of the Hibs award 'What impressed me most was the reference from a local referees'. The reference cited a senior mens game that had turned nasty. At the final whistle a Hib's junior side playing on an adjacent pitch, together with their manager and parents, intervened to diffuse the situation, collect the flags from both teams and escort the officials back to their cars. Actions such as this serve as evidence that the campaign is not only being communicated, but is having an impact on how the game is played at grassroots level.

The awards, match and dinner also introduced Leamington Hibs to a host of other senior figures within the sport including, Alan Parry, Terry Venables, Stuart Pearce, Sam Alladyce, Trevor Francis, Darren Anderton, Scott Minto and Dave Beasant to name a few.
Speaking after the Awards, The FA’s Respect Manager Dermot Collins said:
“We are honoured that The Prince has presented these Awards at Wembley today which recognise those individuals who seek to tackle some of the most difficult aspects of the game. This is a wonderful opportunity to promote those individuals and organisations that make football the most popular sport in the country.”

In addition to a £3000 cash award, Hibs have been asked to attend future FA respect events to be held nationwide. An FA club video is also now in production to promote the clubs activities as best practice to be serve as an example to other clubs committed to supporting the campaign and improve standards across the UK.