Dorset County Football Association [FA] has won the Football Development Award at the 2025 County FA Recognition Awardsfor its Developing an Offer of Visually Impaired Football for Young People in Dorset.
The Awards, hosted at Wembley Stadium connected by EE, recognise and endorse projects, products and services delivered by County FAs over the past season while sharing best practice and learnings from around the country.
This year saw a record-breaking number of nominations submitted, with over 250 nominations received from the 50 County FAs operating across England, highlighting exceptional delivery and innovation to improve grassroots football and increase participation across all levels of the game.
The twelve categories recognised at the awards were:
- Club Development
- Coach & Volunteer Development
- Employee Wellbeing & Engagement
- Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
- Facility Development
- Football Development
- Partnership
- Progressive Governance
- Referee Development
- Special Recognition
- Tackle Poor Behaviour
- Women & Girls
Dorset FA was handed the Football Development Award for the project to develop an offer of football for young people with visual impairments in the County which began in October 2024 with a schools taster day delivered in collaboration with the Dorset Vision Support Service. Following the success of the taster day, Dorset FA approached 3* England Football Accredited Club, Longfleet FC, who were keen to ensure an ongoing opportunity could be delivered in the community. Through partnership work between the club, local authority service and the County FA the successful monthly sessions for the Longfleet Vision Warriors are now going from strength to strength.
CEO, Roger Vaughan: “The Board and staff at Dorset FA are so proud to have been awarded the Football Development Project Award after the hard work and collaboration across multiple organisations in achieving the success of the Longfleet Vision Warriors. Longfleet FC are a truly inclusive club who have welcomed a new community of players and their families through these sessions. We look forward to the continuing to work with the club to build upon this success.”
The FA’s Head of Operations for Grassroots Football, Tim Foster added: “These awards shine a light on the outstanding work being delivered by our County FA network to grow and enhance grassroots football nationwide. It’s always inspiring to see how bold ideas and creative initiatives are turning into real opportunities for people to get involved and enjoy the game. My congratulations go to all of the winners and shortlisted projects – each one is making a meaningful difference to our footballing communities across the country.”