Pat Griffin, co-founder of Milton Amateur Football Club, has scooped one of UEFA’s top grassroots awards.
As part of Grassroots Day 2014, Pat has received gold in the Best Grassroots Leader category. Pat was put forward by the Scottish FA, after UEFA member associations were each invited to nominate an individual ‘who has done remarkable voluntary work in grassroots football’.
Pat, who won the inaugural People’s Award at the 2013 Scottish FA Grassroots Awards, co-founded Quality Mark club Milton AFC in 1972.
He has been instrumental in driving the Stirling club forward and ensuring that children from the local community are able to enjoy grassroots football in a fun and safe environment, week in week out.
Over the last 42 years, Pat has been a player, coach and is now part of the committee overseeing the growth of the club. Thanks to his efforts the club now boasts more than 350 male and female club members ranging from under-9s all the way up to under-19s.
Pat said: "I’m absolutely gobsmacked. There’s thousands of people like myself volunteering at clubs all over Scotland week in and week out, and this award is for all of them. My phone has been ringing non-stop, and Facebook has been full of messages congratulating me and the club. The last few months have been an absolute rollercoaster ride (since winning the People’s Award in the 2013 Scottish FA Grassroots Awards) and it has honestly been like a fairytale. I still cannot believe it.
"There are so many fantastic and committed people to thank. They say that you need all the cogs to work together for a bike to work smoothly. Well, we’ve got a lot of great cogs. However, there are two people in particular that deserve this award as much as me. James Masterson (who has been chairman since for nearly 40 years) and Michael Mullane are the only other original members of the committee formed the year after the club’s inception in 1972. Between the three of us, we have over 120 years experience with the club. We, along with everyone here, don’t do it for awards or trophies. We do it because we love the game and the positive impact it can have on young people’s lives. It’s mind boggling to be receiving this award when they are so many deserving coaches not just in Scotland, but all over the UK and Europe.
"Winning the award is still just unbelievable. It is an incredible achievement for the club, and all of those involved with grassroots participation within Scottish football, to be recognised at European level by UEFA like this."
Do you know someone like Pat who deserves to be recognised for their work in grassroots football? The nomination process for the 2014 Scottish FA Grassroots Awards, presented by McDonald’s and the Sunday Mail, is now open. You can nominate worthy volunteers, coaches and clubs in a range of categories.
*THIS IS THE FINAL WEEK TO NOMINATE SOMEONE FOR THE 2014 SCOTTISH FA GRASSROOTS AWARDS. NOMINATIONS CLOSE ON 26TH MAY*
Click here for more information, and to nominate NOW.
http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=3824
Watch the UEFA Training Ground video here.