Inspiring videos, success stories, a quick-witted host, and the odd chicken burger. That can only mean one thing… End-of-season awards.
On Monday, July 15, The Albion Foundation gathered for our annual Disability Awards Evening to celebrate the achievements of our disability teams with our whole family at the Foundation.
This season has been truly groundbreaking, with laudable achievements for many of our disability teams, including the WBA Blind and WBA Powerchair teams who tasted success in their respective FA Disability Cups.
WBA Powerchair went one further, too, winning the National League.
At junior level, our three U16 sides — WBA, WBA Baggies, and WBA Throstles — and U12s have all enjoyed strong showings in their league competitions and seen real progress over the course of the season.
The U12s and U16 Baggies finished the year victorious, each winning the Sandwell Inclusion League Open Cup for their age category.
Our awards evening gave everybody involved and invested in the Albion Foundation a chance to congratulate all the players and coaches on a job well done this year. The event, which Foundation Director Rob Lake described as “one of my favourite nights of the year”, was made all the more special by the ever-entertaining John Homer, who kindly hosted.
First up was the junior awards ceremony, followed then by the seniors at 7:30 pm.
Players were greeted with applause as they came up to receive recognition and get photos taken with their trophies.
At the end of the evening, Rob Lake addressed the room to recognise the dedication of parents, partners, friends and family members to make these team achievements possible.
He also stated that the Foundation’s good work is central to giving players the opportunity to play regularly in competitive teams and grow as people — a message the Albion Foundation is always committed to espousing.
Rob demonstrated his commitment to the disability teams earlier this spring by completing the foundation’s Blind Walk blindfolded. As a result, he was awarded the Outstanding Achievement award on Monday.
This season, the Volunteer of the Year award was split three ways for a trio of worthy winners: Mike Moren, Dieter Groll, and Chris Price, also for their support during the Blind Walk.
This year, the Albion family had to say goodbye to two people far too soon. Nick Heath and logan Mitchelson sadly passed away not long ago, and as a foundation, we took a moment to applaud the pair on Monday night. It was a heartwarming moment of recognition for two cherished members of the Albion Family.
The Albion Foundation has fantastic staff and coaches throughout the organisation who work closely with each team and continue to welcome new people. The coaches and players share a passion for football and for developing as people off the pitch.
Our host, John, finished the night by saying: “I am in awe of all of you here tonight, and I wish you nothing but success next year.”
We’ll see our teams again in the 2024/25 season.