Outstanding Contribution nominees Day 4

One of the highlights of this Sunday’s FA Community Awards presentation by McDonald's will be the 'Outstanding Contribution' category with eight fantastic volunteers in the mix for the prestigious accolade.

Today TheFA.com focuses on Ron Collins and Richard Oxtoby:

Ron Collins
Gary Lineker might be Leicester’s most famous footballing son but Ron Collins can’t be too far behind having introduced thousands of youngsters to the game over the last 30 years at Aylestone Park YFC.

A retired Police Officer, Ron recently took over as vice-chairman of the club and now oversees one of the biggest Saturday morning football academies in Leicester which serves as a breeding ground for future players, coaches and team managers at Aylestone Park. The club ground is also available to the wider community with over 500 games there per season and amongst those benefitting are local disabled players with Ron running five competitive teams on a regular basis.

And fixtures for the disabled sides aren’t limited to Aylestone Park either with Ron organising a once in a lifetime experience of playing at Chelsea for his squad of disability players.

A prolific fundraiser, Ron has generated £10,000 for use in local youth and disability football and has now linked Aylestone Park with an education programme that engages children from deprived social housing estates while promoting the benefits of higher education to young adults.

Richard Oxtoby
Bromley Cross Jets U12s coach Richard Oxtoby is proof that you’re never too old to learn something new and get back into football on a regular basis.

The 70-year-old granddad returned to The FA Learning classroom three years ago after volunteering to takeover as a coach when the Jets U12s were left without a manager for their team training sessions and matches in the Bolton, Bury & District Junior Football League.

And that FA coaching badge has done wonders - Richard might be a little older than Sir Alex Ferguson but he’s getting similar results as the Manchester United boss with the Jets going on an unbelievable winning streak last season in their first year as an 11-a-side team.

Richard’s career in football started almost 60 years ago when he was a youth player at Bolton Wanderers and from there he has helped out across all levels of the game as a coach, manager and even part-time groundsman. Countless pitches have been mowed and forked over the years, no doubt testing the patience of Mrs Oxtoby, who has seen her lawn at home neglected for the benefit of football in the local area.

“He is loved by all the parents and kids and deserves to be considered for some recognition,” said the club’s Jayne Tramontana.