Players from Everton in the Community’s 11 disability teams all came together virtually this week for the charity’s annual Disability Awards.

Sponsored by Charities Trust, Sportech and The Spirit Foundation, this year’s ceremony took on a new digital format, with players and special guests all tuning in from the comfort of their own homes while Everton's Darren Griffiths hosted the show from a wet and windy Goodison Park.

The ceremony was opened by Everton in the Community Chief Executive Richard Kenyon, who congratulated the players on their immense spirit and resilience shown during a challenging season, before the guests were surprised with messages from First-Team stars Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Alex Iwobi. Club Ambassador Ian Snodin also congratulated the various squads on their achievements and expressed his hope they will soon be able to get together to celebrate in person.

The ceremony saw players from Everton’s Under-13s, Archbishop Beck Under-16s, Ashley School Premier League Under-16s, Ashley School Championship Under-16s, Pan Disability League One, Pan Disability Championship, Pan Disability Premier League, Amputee team, Down syndrome team, Women’s Pan Disability Premier League and Women’s Pan Disability Championship all in attendance for the virtual Disability Awards, with two players from each of the charity’s 11 teams then connected live into the ceremony where it was revealed that they had been named the Players’ Player of the Year or Manager’s Player of the Year. The winners were then given the opportunity to pose proudly with their trophies.

As part of the ceremony, viewers were shown video messages from each of the programme's coaches, who spoke in detail about their team's individual and collective achievements over the last year, while players’ names were shown on screen in recognition of their successes on and off the pitch during the past 12 months. Disability Manager Steve Johnson then delivered the closing remarks to all players and thanked their friends and family for their continued support.

“Our annual disability awards are one of the highlights in our calendar and it’s been fantastic that we could still come together remotely tonight to celebrate in our 20th anniversary year,” said Johnson.

“We are able to offer disabled children and adults footballing opportunities that weren’t available when I was growing up. Some of these players have gone on to play at high levels on an international stage and so I’m very proud that our programme is able to give them the opportunity to achieve and celebrate success whatever their skill, ability and desire.

“Our programme has grown so much in 20 years. In addition to our 11 football teams, we also work in Alder Hey and special schools across Merseyside and pride ourselves on supporting disabled people, not just in sport but in everyday life as well.”

Speaking after the awards, Everton in the Community Chief Executive Officer Richard Kenyon said: “This year’s Disability Awards looked rather different to our previous ceremonies and although we weren’t all able to be together to celebrate in person, you could see from people’s reactions on screen that the night was just as special as it always is. It was important that we were still able to come together, albeit remotely, to support and celebrate each other’s successes and achievements and it really seemed like everyone had an enjoyable and memorable evening.”

Everton in the Community’s Disability Programme is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, having grown from just two teams back in 2000 to 11 teams today, with four of the players who were in attendance at the very first training session 20 years ago still being a part of the programme now.

The charity’s annual Disability Awards celebrate the individual and collective successes of each of its 11 teams and at the time of their season being cancelled in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, seven of those teams were sitting either top or second in their respective leagues.

Since the pandemic, Everton in the Community has worked hard to support its players with weekly welfare calls and online training sessions to help everyone stay fit and active.

The disability programme, which is delivered by the Club’s official charity and funded by the Premier League and BBC Children in Need, is one of the largest in the world and provides football and physical activity opportunities for thousands of disabled children and adults each year.

The disability programme is all-inclusive and there are teams available to those with any disability whether that be learning, physical, reduced stature, autism, cerebral palsy or partially sighted.

For more information about Everton in the Community’s disability programmes, click here.