Middlesex Football Association has been successfully shortlisted for the Women and Girls Award at the County FA Recognition Awards 2024 for our Lost Generation Programme.

The Awards, which will be announced at Wembley Stadium connected by EE on Thursday 7 November 2024, recognise and endorse the best projects, products and services delivered by County FAs over the past season while sharing best practice and learnings from around the country.

Over 225 nominations have been entered from the 50 County FAs operating across England, highlighting exceptional delivery and showcasing how they are innovating to improve grassroots football and increase participation across all levels of the game. 

The twelve categories which will be recognised at the awards are: 

• Brand Engagement
• Coach Development
• Employee Wellbeing & Engagement
• Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
• Facility Development
• Football Development
• Partnership
• Positive Football Environment
• Referee Development
• Special recognition
• Women & Girls
• Youth Engagement

Middlesex FA has made the final shortlist for the Women and Girls category for our Lost Generation Programme, which has engaged women aged 35+ with football for the very first time through addressing 3 key objectives:

1. Create ACCESSIBLE opportunities for women to play football who did not get the chance to growing up.

2. Build INCLUSIVE playing environments to allow women to begin their footballing journey and build their confidence.

3. Provide SAFE spaces for women to focus on their social, mental, and physical wellbeing through the powers of football.

Since September 2023, we have…

• Onboarded 5 Lost Gen providers through local grassroots clubs and community groups.
• Delivered a total of 7 weekly sessions between the providers.
• Engaged 214 unique participants.
• Invested back into our local women’s recreational game.

Middlesex FA CEO, Kayleigh Saunders, said: 

"We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Women and Girls category at the 2024 County FA Recognition Awards for our work with The Lost Generation Programme. The idea behind the programme was to reach women that were part of the generation that never had the opportunity to play football and the reaction has been incredible! This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone at the Middlesex FA but particularly our project lead Kate Wells who has brought this together so successfully. We look forward to finding out whether we have been successful on the night and would like to congratulate all the County FAs who have been shortlisted.”

The FA’s Head of Operations for Grassroots Football, Tim Foster added: 

“I’d like to congratulate Middlesex FA in making the final shortlist for the Women and Girls Award. We’ve had some outstanding submissions this year, once again highlighting the crucial role County FAs play in their local communities, ensuring accessible opportunities across all football formats and creating a fun and safe environment for all.

“We look forward to celebrating the achievements of our County FAs at Wembley Stadium in November and thanking everyone involved for their efforts across the season.”