Hugh Carswell from Ayrshire is celebrating after walking away with a top honour at the ninth Scottish FA Grassroots Awards, presented by McDonald’s and the Sunday Mail.
Hugh was named as Best Volunteer in Adult Football at the awards ceremony held at Hampden Park on the 27th September. The awards celebrated the efforts of the tireless volunteers who give their valuable time and effort to provide footballing opportunities in communities across Scotland.
Hugh has been involved in football for over 50 years. After his amateur playing career finished he took to the tactical side of the game. In 1967 he began managing Knockentiber AFC and between the years of 1967 and 1997 he guided the team to 21 league championships, 3 Scottish Amateur Cups, 2 West of Scotland Cups and 9 Ayrshire Cup wins.
Now Hugh is in charge of the Scottish Amateur select, a role that discovers talented youth players for the national set-up. Hugh’s devotion to football has spanned six decades and thanks to his dedication, players in youth football are constantly being discovered helping increase the standard of the Scotland youth set-up.
Scottish legend and McDonald’s Head of Scottish Football, Kenny Dalglish, praised Hugh for his commitment to grassroots football in Scotland: “Football in communities is built on the dedication of people like Hugh. Without the hard work and dedication of all the grassroots volunteers like Hugh Scottish football simply wouldn’t exist. What Hugh has accomplished over the past year to help develop football in the community is truly worthy of the recognition he received at the awards ceremony.
Hugh added: “It is fantastic to have received the award and I feel extremely proud to do so. There are so many fantastic people involved in grassroots football in Scotland and to rub shoulders with them during the awards ceremony was a wonderful experience. It’s very flattering to have been recognised in this way and to have met a legend of the game such as Kenny Dalglish and Scotland Manger Craig Levein was a great way to end an enjoyable evening at Hampden Park.”
Dalglish added: “As a long-term supporter of football in Scottish communities, McDonald’s is proud to champion those that give up so much of their time, providing young footballers the opportunity to shine in a fun and friendly environment.”
The ninth Scottish FA Grassroots Awards, presented by McDonald’s and the Sunday Mail were held at Hampden Park on 27th September 2012. The awards cover ten categories including Best Volunteer in Youth Football, Best Community Football Club and McDonald’s Franchisee Community Champion Award.
Over the last 10 years McDonald’s has been committed to raising the standards of grassroots football, working alongside the Scottish FA. McDonald’s now support over 4,500 grassroots clubs, have created over 2,000 new community coaches and have seen the launch of 1,800 new football teams. By 2014 McDonald’s will work with the Scottish FA to encourage the participation of 13,000 new volunteers and 10,000 new coaches in grassroots football across Scotland.