Grassroots Awards winners for 2026!

IT’S time to celebrate the Suffolk FA Grassroots Awards 2026 winners!

This year saw 131 entries across 11 categories, giving the judging panel plenty of food for thought before selecting the winners.

Leading the way is Alan McDougall, who has been the backbone of Ransomes Sports FC for almost 30 years, and is this year’s winner of the Bobby Moore Award.

When the original Ransomes side folded in 1997, Alan was one of just three people who refused to let the club disappear and together, rebuilt it from the ground up and renamed it Ransomes Sports FC.

Because of Alan’s determination to keep the club alive, thousands of local people, from under-7s to veterans, have had the chance to play football in their community for nearly three decades.

Stour Wanderers FC are this year’s winners of The Lioness award, which celebrates volunteers, coaches, clubs, or community projects that are actively moving women’s and girls' football forward.

The club was set up exclusively for girls and women in Suffolk. They provide a variety of sessions, training and teams for girls from age six upwards to a Veterans’ team for women aged 35+ for all abilities and provide a safe and nurturing environment that is all about the girls and their football.

Clare Town Lions Youth won the Club of the Year award after doubling their fundraising efforts this year. The club created four new age group teams and also launched two Lionesses teams for the first time.

The club now have over 100 children from their very small town and local villages plus over 30 volunteers that help, along with a chairman that continues to push boundaries.

This year’s Judging Panel was as follows:

Matt Stebbings – Suffolk FA Football Development Manager

Julie Mulcahy – Suffolk FA Senior Independent Director

Emma Swan – Active Suffolk Sport Welfare Officer

David McGregor – Coplestonians FC and last year’s winner of the Bobby Moore Award

Maddie Gardiner – Suffolk FA Youth Council Chair

Becky Cawdron – Representing McDonald’s, sponsors of the Suffolk FA Awards Ceremony

Suffolk FA Football Development Manager Matt Stebbings, who led the Judging Panel, said: “Once again, this year was an incredibly tough year to judge.

“A huge thank you goes to those who have taken the time to nominate and recognise an individual or team. Thank you to all the judges who went through the nominations to come to our winners and highly commended entries.

“Volunteers are the backbone of grassroots football and without them football simply doesn’t happen. I look forward to welcoming those to our Awards Ceremony in September.”

Grassroots Awards Roll of Honour for 2026

Bobby Moore Award

Winner - Alan McDougall

Highly Commended - Phil Fairbrother

Coach of the Year Disability Pathway

Winner - Sam Wilson

Coach of the Year Female Pathway

Winner - Chris Collings

Highly Commended - Will Nichols

Coach of the Year Male Pathway

Winner - Bruno Dos Reis Cabral

Club of the Year