The Herts Senior County League has been named the grassroots league of the year in the FA national awards.

The league, which sits at step seven and below of the non-league pyramid was praised for being “a progressive, inclusive and forward-thinking football league, which always puts its clubs and their members first, by looking for new ways to excite and inspire them”.

And in the statement released to announce the league’s success, the FA said: “A recent initiative saw the league take action to tackle the decline of adult male participation in the game, while their work on inclusivity has seen the formation of an inclusive division for disabled men and women.

“Disabled tournaments have been a massive success, attracting as many as 150 participants at any one time.

“The league has successfully partnered with other Saturday adult leagues and, beyond football, it is working with Hertfordshire Police on their anti-crime initiative.

“Clubs are now queuing up to join, with an impressive eight new clubs added in the last season alone, and a potential further seven waiting in the wings.”

The awards, now in their 11th year, celebrate the efforts of volunteers across England who go the extra mile to support their communities and there were a record number of entries received in 2020.