Football End of Season Awards: Categories, Trophies & Ideas
Football end of season awards are the night your players remember long after the results are forgotten. Whether you run an under-7s squad or a Sunday league side, a well-planned presentation night thanks everyone who turned up in the rain, rewards the standout performers and gets families excited for next season.
This guide walks you through the award categories that work best, how to choose trophies for different age groups, how to set a sensible budget and how to time your order so nothing arrives late. It's written from the point of view of a family-run trophy business that has supplied football clubs since 2020.
Popular football end of season award categories
Most clubs mix performance awards with awards for effort and character. Getting the balance right matters, especially at junior level, where you want every child to leave feeling valued.
- Players' Player of the Season – voted for by the squad, often the most treasured award.
- Manager's Player of the Season – the coach's pick for consistency and attitude.
- Top Goalscorer (Golden Boot) – easy to track and always popular.
- Most Improved Player – great for rewarding progress rather than talent.
- Best Defender and Goalkeeper of the Season – recognises positions that rarely get the headlines.
- Clubman or Clubwoman of the Year – for the player who helps put the nets up every week.
- Parents' Player of the Season – adds a fun voting element for families.
- Volunteer or Coach of the Year – a club-wide award that says thank you to the adults.
Awards for kids' and junior teams
For mini-soccer and under-10s, many grassroots clubs follow a simple rule: every child gets something. A personalised medal or small football trophy for each player, plus two or three named awards per team, keeps things fair and joyful.
Light-hearted categories work well at this age. Think 'Best Celebration', 'Always Smiling', 'Brilliant Teammate' or 'Biggest Kick'. For older juniors (under-12s to under-16s), you can introduce more traditional awards such as Player of the Season and Top Scorer, as players tend to value recognition from their peers.
One grassroots youth football customer, Russ W., told us: “All delivered within a few days, including club crest and high quality engravings, at a really reasonable price.” Club crests on the engraving plate or medal centre make a big difference to how special the award feels.
Choosing the right trophies for each award
Match the size and style of the trophy to the importance of the award. Your headline awards (Player of the Season, Players' Player) deserve something taller or more distinctive than the participation awards, so the hierarchy is clear when they're lined up on the table.
- Participation: a medal with ribbon or a small resin football figure.
- Named team awards: mid-size football trophies, such as a player figure or boot and ball design.
- Top club awards: a cup, a taller trophy or a premium resin design.
- Annual club awards that stay at the club: a perpetual trophy or shield with space for years of names.
Budgeting for your presentation night
Start by counting: number of teams, players per team, and named awards per team. A club with eight teams of 12 players and three named awards each needs roughly 96 participation medals or trophies plus 24 named trophies, before any club-wide awards.
From our catalogue, football trophies range from about £5.50 to £105, with a typical design around £11. Medals start from £1.25 and are typically around £2. These are catalogue prices before any bulk discount, and the bigger your order, the bigger your discount – roughly stepping up at 25, 50 and 100 items.
Many clubs fund awards through a small subs top-up, a sponsor or a raffle on the night. A local business sponsoring the trophies often appreciates a mention on the engraving or the programme.
Engraving and personalisation
Each product listing shows how many engraving lines are available and how many characters fit per line. Plan your wording around that limit so you don't have to abbreviate at the last minute.
A typical three-line layout works well: club name, award title, then player name and season. For example: Riverside Juniors FC / Player of the Season / Sam Jones 2025/26. Free engraving is included on qualifying orders, so it's worth personalising every award rather than leaving plates blank.
Running a smooth presentation night
The awards themselves are only half the job. Lay the trophies out by team in the order you'll present them, with a printed list of names next to each group. It stops the classic mix-up where a player is handed someone else's engraved trophy in front of the whole room.
Keep each team's slot short: a sentence or two from the coach about the season, then the awards. Save the club-wide honours for the end so the night builds to a finish, and ask a volunteer to take photos of each team with their medals and trophies for the club's social media.
When to order
Standard items usually dispatch in 3–7 working days, while larger bulk orders typically take 10–14 working days, confirmed with your quote. End of season is busy for every trophy supplier, so aim to order three to four weeks before your event.
If you're local to Caernarfon you can collect, and customers have told us about very quick turnarounds, but it's never wise to leave a whole-club order to the final week. Message us on WhatsApp with your team numbers and award list for a free, no-obligation quote.
Get a free quote for football end of season awards
Tell us what you need on WhatsApp — we beat catalogue prices, and bigger orders get bigger discounts.
Frequently asked questions
What awards should a football club give at the end of the season?
Most clubs give Players' Player of the Season, Manager's Player of the Season, Top Goalscorer and Most Improved Player for each team. Many also add a club-wide Clubman of the Year and a Volunteer award. For younger teams, every player usually receives a medal or small trophy as well.
Should every child get a trophy at the end of the season?
At mini-soccer and under-10s level, most grassroots clubs give every player a medal or small trophy so nobody feels left out. Named awards can then be added on top. For older age groups, clubs often keep participation medals but focus more on named awards.
How much do football end of season awards cost?
On our site football trophies start from around £5.50 and a typical design is about £11, while medals start from £1.25. Total cost depends on how many teams and awards you have. Larger whole-club orders usually qualify for progressive bulk discounts.
How far in advance should I order football presentation trophies?
Aim for three to four weeks before presentation night. Standard items usually dispatch in 3–7 working days and larger bulk orders typically in 10–14 working days, so that window leaves time to approve engraving and handle any changes.
What should I engrave on a football player of the season trophy?
Keep it to the club name, the award title, and the player's name with the season, for example Riverside FC, Player of the Season, Sam Jones 2025/26. Check the number of lines and characters per line on the product listing before finalising your wording.