Women's Football Awards

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The Women's Football Awards are awards recognising achievements in women's association football — both on-pitch performance and in promotion and sustainability — predominantly in the United Kingdom. Annual awards, they were first presented in 2023.

History[edit]

The Women's Football Awards was announced in 2022 and was promoted as the first major awards event solely for women's football. Awards are presented in various categories relating to success in the game and in supporting its growth. While celebrating achievements globally, the focus of the awards is domestic women's football in the United Kingdom (and, generally, England).[1] Ahead of the second edition, co-host Eni Aluko described the awards as "Britain and Europe's biggest award event for women's football".[2] According to the Women's Football Awards website, the International Player of the Year award is for the best player on the world stage; they are still nominated by club.[3]

Nominations are made by the public, with winners decided by a combination of public and jury votes.[1]

Per Beth Mead, who supported the awards, they intend to "shine a light on the success in the game and the people, brands and organisations which support its growth".[1] As of 2024, the awards are run in association with TikTok and Metro.[4]

2023[edit]

The ceremony for the inaugural edition was held at the Nobu Hotel in London on 25 May 2023, hosted by former footballers and pundits Eni Aluko and Jamie Carragher. The major sponsor was Shein, which supported grassroots nominees to attend the ceremony. Entertainment was provided by Heather Small and Fleur East.[1][5] In 2023, the awards were run in association with Mail Sport and Metro.[5]

Player of the Year
International Player of the Year
Young Football Player of the Year
Football Ally of the Year
Grassroots Initiative of the Year
Brand of the Year
Marketing Campaign of the Year
Women's Football Champion of the Year
Women's Football Broadcaster or Journalist of the Year
Best Club of the Year
Off The Pitch Award
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award
Outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility Award
Football Business of the Year
Sources:[1][6][7][8]

2024[edit]

Aluko and Carragher are set to return as hosts for a ceremony on 30 May 2024, with Shein also returning as sponsor.[2][9]

International Football Player of the Year
Football Player of the Year
Young Football Player of the Year
Best Club of the Year
Manager or Coach of the Year
Broadcaster or Journalist of the Year
Grassroots Initiative of the Year
Marketing Campaign of the Year
Best Social Media Campaign
Best Fan Engagement
Women's Football Champion
Football Business of the Year
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award
Outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility Award
Best Breakthrough Business
Football Business Trailblazer
Off The Pitch Award
Game Changer Award
Brand of the Year
Unsung Hero Award
Lifetime Achievement Award
Source:[4]

Response[edit]

The awards saw 20,000 public votes in their inaugural edition.[10]

There was negative reaction to the Football Ally of the Year award, presented in the inaugural edition. Initially, it had been named "Male Football Ally of the Year". Fan responses questioned the need for an award celebrating men, and it was noted that the nominees had done nothing visible for women's football: some had congratulated women's footballers on social media and others had not had any public involvement at all. Harry Kane was one of the recipients,[10] with The Times writing that his contribution of celebrating the Lionesses' UEFA Women's Euro 2022 victory meant "it was like being named Animal Rights Activist of the Year because you once smiled at a dog in the park."[11]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Check out the winners from the first ever Women's Football Awards". BBC Newsround. 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  2. ^ a b Lindop, Beth (2023-12-15). "Jamie Carragher sends message to fans as Women's Football Awards return". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  3. ^ "Awards | Womens Football Awards". Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  4. ^ a b "WOMEN'S FOOTBALL AWARDS 2024 – SHORTLIST". Womens Football Awards. Archived from the original on 20 March 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  5. ^ a b Robertson, Kirsten (2023-05-20). "Eni Aluko and Jamie Carragher say it's 'about time' for Women's Football Awards". Metro. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  6. ^ a b c "Women's Football Awards: Alessia Russo, Keira Walsh and Lauren James among inaugural winners". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  7. ^ "2023 Women's Football Awards shortlist revealed". Womens Football Awards. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  8. ^ Arthurs, Deborah (2023-05-25). "Keira Walsh and Alessia Russo lead winners at Women's Football Awards". Metro. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  9. ^ "More silverware for Lionesses? Mary Earps, Lucy Bronze, Lauren James & Sarina Wiegman among nominees for top prizes at 2024 Women's Football Awards | Goal.com Ghana". Goal. 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  10. ^ a b Gillen, Nancy (2023-05-26). "Harry Kane was named Ally of the Year at the Women's Football Awards and fans are confused". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  11. ^ Gheerbrant, James (2024-03-19). "Celebrate Harry Kane for having hunger of wolf in geek's clothing". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
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