Representatives from the clubs and schools received VIP hospitality, before their big moment came as the players of England and Wales left the pitch.

The FA's Director of Football Development Sir Trevor Brooking, Ray Berridge, Chairman of The FA's Football Development committee and Sir Geoff Hurst and Eric Harrison from FA Community Partner McDonald's presented the winners with their Awards and posed for photos.

Sir Trevor said: "The FA is committed to raising the standards of football at grassroots level and these awards acknowledge the fantastic support that FA Charter Standard Clubs and Schools are providing within the local community, providing opportunities for players of all abilities to develop their skills and play football in a safe and fun environment."

The Charter Standard, supported by FA partner McDonald’s, was established three years ago and aims to improve standards of coaching and player development with a commitment to child protection and a code of conduct for players and parents.

The new FA School-Club link programme now seeks to continue the work done by County FA's and their Football Development teams, by developing partnerships between schools and Charter Standard clubs, increasing participation opportunities.

The PE, School Sport and Club Links is part of the Government's £539 million investment project. Football, over the next three years, will receive £800,000 funded by DfES, with the project, along with six other sports, managed by Sport England.

Through the School-Club Link programme, The FA aims to:

  • Increase the number of young people, aged 5-16 years old, playing on a regular basis in an FA Charter Standard, Community or Ability Counts programme.
  • Increase the number of FA Charter Standard and Community clubs
  • Develop sustainable partnerships between schools and FA Charter Standard clubs

Local Funding will be available to support The School Club link project, whilst a research programme will be set up to monitor and evaluate it's success.

Each County FA will receive funding to work with a minimum of four FA Charter Standard clubs, linked to a minimum of one named school in a School-club partnership.

This will cover supporting coaches fees for running introductory sessions at schools, bursaries for coaches in clubs, competitions and festivals for schools, as well as supporting liaison work for schools wishing to become FA Charter Standard.

If you would like more information about becoming an FA Charter Standard Club or School, or are interested in becoming part of the School-Club link Programme, contact your local County FA and speak to your Football Development team.

FA Charter Standard Club National Award Winners

Club: Barnoldswick, Lancashire
Adult: Freethorpe, Norfolk
Dev Club: Crossfields, Liverpool
Community: Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire
Administrator: Laurence Reed, Railway Beacon FC, Devon
Coach: Alan Croker, Derry Hill Boys, Wiltshire

FA Charter Standard School National Award Winners

Primary School: Green Park Community Primary School, Liverpool
Primary Development School: Even Swindon Junior School, Wiltshire
Secondary School: Djanogly City Academy, Nottinghamshire
Secondary Development School: Ansford Community School, Somerset
Special School: Haycliffe Special School, Bradford, West Riding
Specialist Sports College: Callington Community College, Cornwall