WITH the 2013/14 soccer season nearly upon us, a Mardy lady is in with the chance to be crowned Welsh football's top grassroots hero.

Following success as the regional winner of the Volunteer of the Year category in Gwent, grassroots volunteer Jane Grayer is now in with a chance to win the prestigious People's Award at the 2013 Welsh Community Football Awards.

For the second year running, the six regional winners from across Wales in the Volunteer of the Year category will be entered into the People's Award - a special award that gives the public the chance to vote and decide who they believe should be crowned the national winner. 

Jane has almost single-handedly managed the administration of Mardy Juniors FC in Abergavenny for the past five years. Thanks to her commitment and dedication the number of players enjoying the game at Mardy Juniors has grown to more than 200, across 18 teams from the under-6s right through to an under-16s squad.

In recent years, Jane has also helped the club balance their finances, enabling them to put more money into improving their coaching standards, purchasing better equipment and as a result giving the club the opportunity to welcome in more players. 

Jane's role covers nearly every aspect of Mardy Juniors – from ensuring all training sessions are staffed properly to securing kit sponsorship. Jane also has the responsibility of helping to arrange football tournaments with other local clubs and schools – including their annual schools tournament which welcomes more than 170 players to the club to compete in friendly competition.

McDonald's Director of Welsh Football, Ian Rush said: "The Welsh Community Football Awards, presented by McDonald's, were designed to celebrate and thank the hundreds of volunteers who give up their spare time to help grassroots football grow and flourish across Wales. Without the energy, enthusiasm and continued dedication of these unsung heroes, grassroots football in so many communities would not be possible.  The People's Award gives the general public the chance to have their say on who they feel deserves this special recognition and I would urge everyone from Abergavenny to support Jane and vote."

Voting for The People's Award is open until August 26 26th and the nominee with the most votes will be named the national winner at the 2013 Welsh Community Football Awards ceremony which takes place at Cardiff City Stadium on September 10 ahead of the Wales v Serbia FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifier.

Jane is counting on the support of the local community to win The People's Award. Voting is now open at http://www.welshfootballtrust.org.uk">www.welshfootballtrust.org.uk, so get over there and make your voice heard.