We’re thrilled to announce that an external judging panel has chosen Hannah Wright as the County FA winner of the 2024 New Volunteer of the Year award as part of England Football’s Grassroots Football Awards.

The New Volunteer of the Year award is to recognise a volunteer who started in the 2023/24 season and burst onto the scene and had a real impact by increasing the opportunities for others to play or volunteer or improving the experience.

Hannah started volunteering at Crosspool FC last season after her daughter’s team began playing at the club’s Myers Grove ground in Sheffield and noticed the clubhouse required an upgrade.

She spearheaded a clubhouse renovation project from start to finish, successfully securing a grant via the Howdens’ Game Changer Programme for the supply of a kitchen to make the club’s matchday experience more enjoyable and increase revenue opportunities.

Hannah recruited an army of helpers and tradespeople to install the new kitchen and transform a dilapidated property into a usable space.

She has also been instrumental in improving the facilities with women and girls as the forethought, removing barriers to ensure the club’s facilities are welcoming and inclusive for all.

The refurbished clubhouse is now equipped with a social area, toilets and changing facilities for girls and boys.

In addition to improving the facilities at the club, Hannah also championed an initiative which saw local supermarket Morrisons donate sanitary products to ensure players and coaches have access to free sanitary items.

We visited Hannah at Crosspool FC to learn about her volunteering journey and why she was nominated for this award.

Grassroots football wouldn’t exist without the incredible volunteers that support the game - from secretaries and coaches, to line markers and tea makers, local clubs need volunteers to keep running.

To find out how you can start or continue your volunteering journey, visit: www.englandfootball.com/participate/volunteer