AFC Fylde win FA Respect award

The Football Association today announced the winners of the 2011/12 National Respect and Fair Play awards with the Northern Premier League for the third season in succession figuring prominently.

Although the NPL did not achieve a hat-trick of successes in the League awards which they had dominated in the past two years AFC FYLDE did make it three on the bounce for NPL sides when they landed the Club Award for Steps 1-4 following Garforth Town and Lancaster City’s achievements in 2010 and 2011. In the League Awards the NPL took silver place which gives it the choice of some fantastic rewards.

Adding to Fylde’s success was the NPL’s Respect Manager Phil Bradley who won the prestigious Bobby Moore Individual Award for the work he has done in driving the NPL’s Respect Programme that has now brought the League six winners in the three years since the Awards were first contested.

The FA citation for the club award said “AFC Fylde achieved their award through a determined approach by the management of the club to ensure that all coaches and players share a Code of Conduct resulting in an outstanding disciplinary record”.

Indeed they were the only club in the NPL not to have a player dismissed this season and have been right up at the top of the League’s Fair Play table since being promoted from the North West Counties League three years ago.

The citation accompanying Phil Bradley’s success read “The Bobby Moore Individual Award went to Phil Bradley who has dedicated himself to improving the match day environment of the Northern Premier League with impressive results”.

Since Phil began his work on the League’s Respect Programme three years ago the NPL has a 100% success record in the Club Awards and had won the Step 1-4 Leagues National Award in each of the previous two seasons.

AFC Fylde and Phil Bradley will be presented with their Awards at the FA Cup Final on 5th May.

Dermot Collins, The FA’s Respect Manager, said: “The winners of these awards are an inspirational group of leagues, clubs and individuals. They have decided how they want the game to be played and then take on the responsibility of creating and maintaining Respect in the game. It’s a privilege to be able to reward them at The FA’s showpiece final and use their example to convince others along the same path”.