Mcdonald’s Fun Football Honours Young Hero
On Saturday 30th July, Nottingham-based teenager Joshua Warwick was honoured at the 2022 England Football & McDonald’s Grassroots Football Awards national ceremony, held at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium.
Joshua was named the national winner of the prestigious Grassroots Rising Star of the Year award.
The England Football & McDonald’s Grassroots Football Awards recognise and celebrate the tireless volunteers who dedicate countless hours to inspire those in the grassroots community. The awards are now in their thirteenth year and Joshua joins a long list of inspirational grassroots football heroes who have been recognised by the programme.
18-year-old Joshua was coaching his local team when he became aware of a medical emergency on a different pitch. Joshua, who had no prior medical training, immediately assisted with CPR and used the available defibrillator.
Thanks to Joshua’s efforts the player who had collapsed survived and inspired Joshua to champion understanding around Sudden Cardiac Arrests and is currently working with the Nottinghamshire FA to develop training materials and to share his experience with fellow coaches.
Nottingham Forest defender, Steve Cook, was so touched by Joshua’s story after experiencing a familiar situation with his father he surprised him with tickets to one of Forest’s upcoming games.
Joshua accepted his award from football legend Martin Keown ahead of The FA Community Shield, which saw Premier League champions Manchester City play FA Cup winners Liverpool. During the half time break, Joshua joined the other winners on the pitch in front of the King Power Stadium crowd.
“Joshua is a true inspiration to the whole community and had a bright future ahead of him. That’s why I’m so proud to be here at the King Power stadium to honour these incredible winners. Joshua should be extremely proud of all of his accomplishments and I’m confident we will be seeing more from Joshua in the near future,” said McDonald’s ambassador Martin Keown.
