On Sunday 2nd March 2008 the third annual Football League Awards ceremony took place at the London Hilton, Park Lane.
The awards were a huge success, celebrating the outstanding contributions and achievements throughout the League. The awards also offered the chance to mark the success of three exceptional Apprentices.
The Wickes Young Apprentice Award recognises the outstanding young apprentice in the Coca-Cola Championship and is decided upon by a panel of judges consisting of former Republic of Ireland International, Andy Townsend, and representatives from The Football League, The PFA, Wickes’ and FourFourTwo Magazine.
Mark Beevers of Sheffield Wednesday took the plaudits in the Championship after an impressive season for the Owls. The young defender has emerged as one to watch after establishing himself in the first team this term but he has worked hard to balance his Apprenticeship with first team commitments.
Daniel Broadbent of Huddersfield Town picked up the award for League One while Ryan Bennett (pictured left) of Grimsby Town received the award for League Two. LFE would like to extend its congratulations to all three winners.
Congratulations must also go to former England captain Jimmy Armfield, who received the prestigious Outstanding Contribution to League Football honour. In his playing career, Jimmy made a record 568 appearances for Blackpool. He also captained England on 15 occasions before going on to manage Bolton and Leeds.
He led Leeds to a 1975 European Cup Final and during his time at Elland Road, Leeds never finished outside of the top 10 in the League, qualified for the UEFA Cup and reached the FA and League Cup semi-finals.
Jimmy is of course well know for his role broadcasting for the BBC while he doubles up as Technical Consultant for The PFA Coaching department
Look out for the interviews offering the inside track on what it’s like to win these awards with all three Apprentices in the near future….
