Gary Neville is hoping to inspire more youngsters into following his footsteps, as voting for The FA Community Awards opens.

The England coach and former Manchester United star took his first steps on the path to success with local club Bury Juniors in his hometown.

And Neville admits it’s the often-unsung coaches and volunteers at grassroots level who you can nominate in the Community Awards who can all play a part in developing future footballers.

He said: “Bury Juniors was a fantastic place to start playing football.

“The club has a great atmosphere and I will always be eternally grateful for the free time that the coaches and volunteers sacrificed to ensure that I could play football.

Bury Juniors FC are an FA Charter Standard Development Club and have also played a part in the development Gary’s brother Phil and England Under-21 and West Brom defender Craig Dawson over the last 30 years. 

Neville added: “Every budding footballer starts at grassroots level and I can honestly say that without the commitment from coaches and volunteers I wouldn’t have had a stepping stone into the professional game.”

The club is just one of the thousands that McDonald’s and The FA has supported over the past ten years in their bid to help young footballers shine and provide football to local communities across England.

Nominations for The FA Community Awards presented by McDonald’s are now open. To vote for a football coach, club or volunteer, click here now.