ONE of our most important National Game Awards, year on year, is the Buildbase Unsung Hero.
That's because we know that whoever is honoured at the 2022 NGAs will have a genuine love and passion for both their club and Non-League football in general. This is certainly not an award for your typical one-season wonders!
The Unsung Hero really does separate the men from the boys and the women from the girls.
Unlike most NGAs, it's not a straight vote – we want you to nominate the person in the Non-League game who you believe we cannot ignore, and who deserves recognition.
That person with decades of service, maybe someone who has run your club's busy tea hut singlehandedly for years without missing a game or the manager who washes the kit, puts out the corner flags, fills out all the forms – and then picks the team!
To dedicate a large chunk of your life to a club is something that definitely deserves recognition.
And that is why we decided in 2019 to hand the Unsung Hero award to St Albans City club secretary Leigh Page. Leigh has dedicated over 30 years for a club he has supported since childhood. He credits the Saints as being part of his extended family and that is his motivation for dedicating his life to helping in the running of it, carrying out a myriad of various jobs.
“There are thousands of people out there like me and it could have been any one of us up here today,” he said.
“A lot of these awards are obvious because they rely on playing outcomes but actually this one is for all the volunteers out there because without them, at this level, football doesn't work.”
We are inviting you to get your thinking caps on and honour the person who has gone beyond the call of duty in support of their club.
■ THEY say a week is a long time in football – so three years seems like an absolute eternity!
It's hard to believe it was 2019 when we last sat round the table at Chelsea FC's Stamford Bridge to announce the NGA winners to our distinguished guests.
The truncated 2020 event was conducted virtually due to the Covid lockdown and last year was a total washout, so it brings us great delight to announce we are back and ready to dust down our lounge suits once again.
HONOURED: Leigh Page, right, at the NGAs in 2019
PICTURE: Stuart Tree
