The Football League has announced the first shortlists for The Football League Awards 2015 - the 10th anniversary of the annual awards ceremony that celebrates on and off pitch excellence across The League’s 72 clubs.
To tie in with the 10th anniversary, this year there are a total of 10 categories with shortlists for four categories announced so far. The winners will be revealed at a gala ceremony at The Brewery, London, on Sunday 19th April 2015.
A total of 19 clubs have made the shortlists for the first four categories announced. Brighton & Hove Albion, Millwall, Milton Keynes Dons and Stevenage all lead the way with two nominations each.
Drew Barrand, Marketing Director of The Football League, said: “The Football League Awards 2015 provides not just the opportunity to recognise star performances, both on and off the pitch over the last year, but also the chance to celebrate the last 10 years of the event.
“This is the best year yet in terms of the standard and number of entries so to make the shortlists is a real achievement by the clubs and individuals involved. We wish all those nominated the best of luck and look forward to a fantastic evening in April when we will announce the winners.”
The shortlists announced are:
Family Club of the Year
Brighton & Hove Albion
Colchester United
Middlesbrough
Milton Keynes Dons
Plymouth Argyle
Stevenage
Johnstone’s Paint Community Club of the Year
Blackburn Rovers (North West)
Doncaster Rovers (Yorkshire & North East)
Derby County (Midlands)
Norwich City (East)
Brighton & Hove Albion (South)
PFA Player in the Community
Hope Akpan (Reading)
Elliot Omozusi (Leyton Orient)
Danny Shittu (Millwall)
LFE Apprentice of the Year
Championship
Lewis Cook (Leeds United)
Joe Gomez (Charlton Athletic)
Fred Onyedinma (Millwall)
League 1
George Cooper (Crewe Alexandra)
Giorgio Rasulo (Milton Keynes Dons)
Louis Reed (Sheffield United)
League 2
Conor Chaplin (Portsmouth)
Ben Harrison (AFC Wimbledon)
Ryan Johnson (Stevenage)
Clubs not shortlisted for these awards could still taste success on the evening. There will also be awards on the night for the Mitre Goal of the Year, Capital One Supporter of the Year, Sky Bet Players of the Year, Young Player of the Year, the Sir Tom Finney Award and Contribution to League Football.
Alongside these there will be two special categories to mark the 10th anniversary of the event – the Tokio Marine Club Hero Award recognising a member of staff at each of the 72 Football League clubs, and the Football Manager Team of the Decade with 11 selected players and a manager selected based on performances from the past 10 seasons.
Fans currently have the chance to have a say in one of the award categories, with voting for the Mitre Goal of the Year shortlist taking place in conjunction with Soccer AM - to see the goals and vote please click here.
Category details
Family Club of the Year
This award honours the club that best demonstrates outstanding delivery of activity to attract and retain young fans and families at games. Three divisional winners will be announced at the awards evening with one of them being named the overall winner.
Johnstone’s Paint Community Club of the Year
This award recognises the Football League club community scheme that has best demonstrated success at engaging with their local community over the last year. The shortlist is comprised of five regional winners.
PFA Player in the Community
This award recognises the significant work players have done in supporting their club’s community programme during the last year. The shortlist has been selected from 72 nominations, with one player nominated from each Football League club.
LFE Apprentice of the Year
This award aims to recognise outstanding young professionals at Football League clubs who excel both on and off the pitch. In selecting the shortlists, the record of the player in all competitions since he became an apprentice has been taken into account, alongside his education attainment, disciplinary record and any other outstanding achievements.