Nominations are continuing for the 2014 McDonald’s Irish FA Community Awards and recently we turn our attention to volunteers, so if you know someone who gives up freely of their time for grassroots football and you’d like them to be recognised please nominate them at www.McDonalds.co.uk/Awards .

As most people involved in local football clubs will testify, volunteers are worth their weight in gold and are rightly recognised as being the lifeblood of the game.

McDonald’s and the Irish FA are asking people in clubs throughout Northern Ireland to nominate these volunteers. People volunteer in many different ways, for instance it may be through attending meetings and managing club events, writing match reports for the club website or even making the tea at half time – anything that benefits the club.

Last year’s winner of the Volunteer of the Year Award was Vickie Nelson who provides the perfect example of just how much a volunteer contributes to a club. She is the main organiser of Ards Youth FC attending meetings with the youth committee, sitting as a member of the Ards FC Board as the liaison and community relations officer as well as being a full-time mum!

Vickie is also hands-on with coaching through planning and delivering training sessions and arranging the logistics of match schedules.

Last year it was suggested the club should seek to attract a girls’ football team and Vickie volunteered to deliver the coaching - this has now grown to have over 30 girls training and getting coached each week.

‘The beating heart of Ards Youth FC’, Vickie truly displays the spirit of a volunteer and this was rightly recognised during last year’s awards event.

Commenting on her award, Vickie said, “Ards FC is going from strength to strength and to be recognised for the contribution I’ve made to the club through this award has been fantastic. Thank you to everyone who nominated me!”

There are thousands of volunteers across Northern Ireland who, like Vickie, give up their time week in, week out to provide a fun, safe and quality football experience for young players and the McDonald’s Irish FA Community Awards aims to recognise and reward these coaches, clubs and volunteers.

The Awards form a key part of McDonald’s Community Partnership with the Irish FA; a partnership that has been developing grassroots football since 2002 and is helping young footballers shine. This partnership is delivering a lasting legacy for grassroots football through KickStart funding, ongoing coach creation and education, the Club Accreditation Scheme and a number of regional Small Sided Games Centres– all contributing to ‘Better Play for Kids’.