Awards night checklist

It is customary for many soccer teams to end their season with an awards ceremony, reflecting on, and celebrating, the campaign just gone.

Such ceremonies can be a lot to organise – but, if done well, result in a great event for players, parents and guardians, coaches, and other club officials alike. 

Here are some key things to consider when looking to host your team’s awards ceremony.

Location and venue

Where will the event be held? Is it accessible for your attendees? Have you done the appropriate checks and risk assessments for the venue?

You may opt to have the ceremony at a venue you regularly use, like your training ground. This might not be massively exciting for your players, but it may be quite convenient, meaning you can get more of them there. 

Alternatively, you may seek to use a different venue, perhaps an event space. 

This may make the event feel more of a big deal for players, but you may have to sacrifice some of the convenience.

Set-up

Within the venue, what will things look like? Where will things be placed?

Will there be a stage? If so, will you need a screen? Will there be a separate refreshments area? 

Will attendees be split by role, with players in one area, and parents and guardians in another, or by team? Are facilities such as toilets easily accessible? Are you going to decorate the area, perhaps with club or team branding?

Timings and length

When will the ceremony be and how long will it be?

It can be useful to schedule the event on a day and at a time when players may be used to attending training sessions or fixtures, as they are more likely to have these times blocked out in their calendars.

When it comes to length, consider this based on what the event schedule might look like. 

Will there be an introductory speech, the award presentations, and then some free time afterwards, for example? Or are you going to do a few awards, then have a break, and repeat a few times? 

Think carefully about how many people you have coming, how many awards you have to give out and the ages and attention spans of those in attendance. 

It may be that, if you’re a club with many teams, you need to split arrivals across the event. Can you allocate certain time slots to certain age groups, for example? Or, do you even go as far as running separate events?

Staffing

Who will be involved in running the ceremony? What will their role look like?

Think about the tasks that need doing – setting up, bringing things like medals and trophies, welcoming attendees, giving speeches and handing out awards.

And remember it’s a chance to celebrate your staff and volunteers too, so try to get as many of them there as possible!

Attendees

Who is invited to the ceremony? Obviously, the guests of honour are the players, but how many people are they allowed to bring with them?

Parents, guardians, extended family members and friendship circles will all likely be very keen to celebrate their loved one – but, of course, you will only have limited space. 

Make sure everyone knows how many people can come per player, and set up a booking system to ensure this information can be collected and tracked.

Think about special guests, too – is there a significant name that could come along? 

If you’re linked to an adult team, perhaps a senior player could come along? They could hand out awards, or give a speech to help inspire players.

Refreshments

Will there be food and drink available for attendees? Will this be free or will you charge for it?

Have you considered dietary requirements and allergies? Are attendees able to bring their own food and drink? 

Consider the time of day of the event, and its length, then review what might be appropriate.

Photography

Award ceremonies provide loads of great photo opportunities for players and their family and friends.

Of course, everyone will have a mobile phone or camera on hand to get their own snaps, but will you be hiring anyone to do any content – a photographer or a videographer? 

This can be great to give attendees memories of the day, but it can also potentially be used to promote your club in future.

Dress code

What should players and attendees wear? You may go plain clothes, casual, or smart, depending on the venue.

Alternatively, you may ask players to come in club kit. Think about what suits the tone of the event and what is most practical for those attending.

Awards

Who are you going to be giving awards to? Will there be club awards? Team awards? Awards for staff, volunteers or parents? 

Have there been any big moments over the course of the season that need celebrating?

Plot these out, thinking about the quantity of the awards, what they are, and how they link to what you value as a club.

Assets

If you are handing out awards to players, are you giving them anything tangible? Will you need certificates, medals, trophies, or perhaps even a ball?

Will you need anything beyond that? Perhaps some posters, or maybe even a programme?

Cost

Is there a cost for any element of the ceremony? You’ll likely have to pay for the venue and for any awards or prizes.

Consider how this cost will be covered. Can the team or club cover it, or will those attending need to buy tickets? 

Maybe getting into the event itself is free, but there’s a charge for certain things once you’re in there – perhaps refreshments or games.

Also consider how you may use the event as a chance to raise some funds for the upcoming season.

Communications

Make sure you get the message out to players, parents, guardians and anyone else that should be aware of it as early as possible.

Be clear about the key things: what, where, when, who and why. And don’t be afraid to send reminders.

Remember what it’s all about...

All of the above is key to running a successful end-of-season awards ceremony.

However, it’s important not to get too wrapped up in the detail that you end up losing sight of what the event is truly about – celebrating the club, team, players, coaches, parents and guardians and everyone else involved.

Above all, keep the essence of that at the heart of what you do. Make celebrating success (in all its forms) the focus of the event, in the way you share stories, present awards and involve the players.