Seamus Coleman surprised Everton in the Community participants on Wednesday evening as the charity’s annual Disability Awards returned in-person for the first time in three years.

Held at the Isla Gladstone Conservatory, the ceremony looked back on another successful year for Everton in the Community’s ten disability teams and brought players and their families together for a night of celebration and inspiration.

Everton Club captain Coleman met with participants for photographs and a chat about all-things football before taking to the stage to present the Players’ Player of the Year and Manager’s Player of the Year Award to each team.

Ambassadors Ian Snodin and Graham Stuart were also on hand to present medals to every individual player in recognition of their fantastic achievements over the past 12 months.

Coleman said: “Coming to events like this genuinely means a lot to me, I really do love it.

“I’ve seen some familiar faces and some new faces this evening and I’m delighted to be here to support everyone.”

Opened by Everton in the Community’s Chief Executive, Sue Gregory, the ceremony saw players from Everton’s Down Syndrome team, Amputee team and eight pan-disability teams all called on stage to be presented with their medals.

Among the attendees were the Everton in the Community footballers who represented England at the Amputee Football World Cup in Turkey earlier this month.

Everton in the Community’s Disability Manager, Steve Johnson, said: “Our annual disability awards are the highlight of our calendar and we’re delighted to be able to get together in person again after a three-year break due to COVID.

"It’s fantastic to bring all of our players together with their families to celebrate their achievements and it’s always such a special night for everyone involved.”

Launched in 2000, Everton in the Community’s disability project was the first targeted programme that the charity delivered to deal with a social issue in the local community and is now one of the largest and most-respected disability football programmes in the world.

With weekly training sessions and monthly competitive opportunities for disabled children and adults of all age groups, both male and female, the programme engages more than 200 adults per week and over 400 disabled children and young people each year.

For more information about Everton in the Community’s disability programmes visit Everton in the Community - Disability