Leeds Trinity student wins English Schools’ Football Association Young Volunteer of the Year

Leeds Trinity University student Colm Rafferty has been named English Schools’ Football Association (ESFA) Young Volunteer of the Year following his work with the Bradford Schools Football Association (BSFA). 

Colm, a level six student on the Leeds Trinity BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching course, has dedicated many hours to volunteering at the Association alongside his studies. He has been recognised and rewarded for his efforts in coaching, event management and assisting the organisation’s growth.

Colm was originally asked to get involved by Gary Ratnik, a coach at BSFA, in 2020 and took on the challenge of being the assistant coach of the under-11s team with a view to gaining valuable experience. 

From there, Colm took on an increasing number of roles in order to help the Association, including refereeing, planning player trials, arranging fundraising events and working behind the refreshments bar. His contributions over the last three years have helped BSFA expand from one team to five teams across different age groups, all of which now have the opportunity to represent their district on the pitch.

Impressed by his impact and commitment, Colm was put forward for Young Volunteer of the Year by his colleagues at BSFA. After making it to the final three nominees, he was invited to the awards ceremony at Stoke City’s stadium where he was announced as the winner in his category and presented with a trophy by ESFA Chair, Stuart Botham. 

Colm said: “I’m delighted to have won this award and it really shows that your efforts don’t go unnoticed when you are volunteering, it makes a big difference to a lot of people’s lives.

“I am really grateful to Gary Ratnik for originally getting me involved with Bradford Schools Association and helping me develop throughout my coaching journey. I am glad I said yes to helping him out and getting involved in coaching, as volunteering has opened up opportunities I may not have had otherwise.

“Without volunteering, my coaching career wouldn’t be where it is now as it is very difficult to get jobs without putting in the effort or having qualifications. However, through volunteering I have managed to secure jobs at Forza Football Academy and now Bradford Park Avenue FC, where I currently coach within the grassroots and performance centre set ups.”

Kirstie Grace, Deputy Head of School of Sport and Wellbeing and Colm’s personal tutor, said:

“Colm is someone who recognises the much wider role sports coaching can play in inspiring and empowering young people both within a football academy but also reaching out to young people in the community. Colm has been strong practically throughout his time on the Sports Coaching degree and has always been keen to discuss ways of applying taught content within his coaching. It is fantastic to see this now benefiting Colm and those he supports through his work.”

For more information about Sports Coaching at Leeds Trinity, visit the University website.