BAFA Launches Community Heroes Awards to Celebrate the Heart of Britball.

The British American Football Association (BAFA) is proud to announce the launch of a new annual awards programme, BAFA Community Heroes, designed to recognise and celebrate the individuals and clubs who bring Britball's values to life across the British American football community.

Across BAFA, volunteers, young leaders, officials, clubs and members make a difference every single day. Much of this work happens behind the scenes and without recognition, yet it is fundamental to the experience of players, families and communities across the sport.

The BAFA Community Heroes awards aim to shine a light on these contributions, directly reflecting BAFA’s organisational values and reinforcing the behaviours and culture that underpin the continued growth of the game:

• We are Welcoming 

• We Collaborate 

• We are Ambitious 

• We Celebrate 

  
  

The initiative builds on BAFA’s existing recognition programmes, including BAFCA's Coach of the Year Awards, the BAFA Hall of Fame and the Annual Officiating Awards delivered by BAFRA, by introducing a dedicated platform to honour the wider community whose efforts often sit outside traditional award categories.

Award Categories

The BAFA Community Heroes programme will feature a range of categories celebrating contributions across all areas of the sport:

• The Welcoming Hero

  Recognising individuals or clubs who make the game inclusive, safe and accessible for all. 

  
  

• The Collaboration Hero

  Celebrating those who strengthen the sport through partnership and teamwork across clubs, regions or disciplines. 

  
  

• The Ambition Hero

  Honouring individuals or clubs who drive progress, innovation and growth within the game. 

  
  

• The Celebration Hero

  Recognising those who uplift others and champion the spirit of the sport.

• The Young People’s Hero

  Highlighting those who go above and beyond to support, mentor and develop young people.

  
  

• The Unsung Hero

  Celebrating the vital contributions that often go unnoticed — from kit managers and game-day volunteers to the people who keep clubs running behind the scenes.

  
  

• Club of the Year

  Recognising a club that consistently demonstrates BAFA’s values and delivers a positive impact within its community. 

The BAFA Community Heroes awards will be delivered through an open nomination process across the Britball community. Nominations will be submitted via a short online form, shared through BAFA’s social media channels and distributed directly to clubs and members.

The Club of the Year category will be selected by a BAFA panel following consultation with the organisation’s competitions teams. After nominations close, a review panel will assess all eligible submissions.

Award winners will be announced via BAFA’s social media platforms and invited to receive their recognition at either BritBowl weekend or at the BAFA Flag Finals, with presentations featured on the live event stream. Where winners are unable to attend, BAFA will arrange local presentations to ensure their contributions are recognised.

Nominations for the 2026 BAFA Community Heroes will open soon. Members of the Britball community are encouraged to keep an eye on BAFA’s website and social media channels for further details.