Top Performers from Across the Confederation to Be Honored; Web Voting in Fan and Media Categories Underway

 Miami (Tuesday, January 12, 2016) – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced today the shortlists and the opening of fan and media voting for the third-annual CONCACAF Awards, to honor the year’s standout performers and achievements from across Confederation events.

The awards, which will be presented for the third time, have been designed to recognize the top players, coaches and referees in women’s and men’s events from the CONCACAF region.

The CONCACAF Awards honor players and achievements in CONCACAF-sanctioned tournaments and competitions involving the Confederation’s national teams at all levels, including FIFA World Cups and World Cup qualifying for both genders, in all age categories. Performances also eligible for recognition include those achieved in professional club football leagues under CONCACAF’s stewardship in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, as well as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.

Players, coaches and referees of any nationality were eligible to be nominated for the awards, as long as they meet at least one of the following criteria:

1. Have played/coached/refereed in an official CONCACAF tournament at club or national team level OR
2.  
3. Have played/coached/refereed for a CONCACAF member national team in a FIFA-sanctioned international competition OR
4.  
5. Have played/coached/refereed in a domestic league within CONCACAF’s territory:

• A player/coach/referee from the CONCACAF region, who does not meet the above criteria (i.e. a player whose only performances in the past year came in a European or Asian league etc.), would not be eligible;• Goal of the Year applies only to goals scored during CONCACAF or FIFA official competitions or a league game disputed within the CONCACAF region;
• Voters should base their judgments solely on performances in the above categorized competitions from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015.

This year’s award categories are:

1. CONCACAF Male Player of the Year
2. CONCACAF Female Player of the Year
3. CONCACAF Male Goalkeeper of the Year
4. CONCACAF Female Goalkeeper of the Year
5. CONCACAF Male Coach of the Year
6. CONCACAF Female Coach of the Year
7. CONCACAF Male Referee of the Year
8. CONCACAF Female Referee of the Year
9. CONCACAF Male Best XI
10. CONCACAF Female Best XI
11. CONCACAF Goal of the Year

For the first time, fans and media will also be able to vote for the Male and Female Best XIs. In each category, a list of nominees has already been determined through voting of Technical Directors from each of CONCACAF’s 41 Member Associations and the CONCACAF Technical Study Group, which analyzes tactics and rates performances at all official CONCACAF tournaments.

The lists have now been submitted for final voting among three important stake-holding segments of the Confederation: Member Associations’ men’s and women’s national team coaches and captains, media and fans. The national team coaches and captains from across the Confederation will account for one third of the final vote, and accredited members of CONCACAF’s media circle will contribute another third of the tally. Fans from around the region and the world are invited to vote online for the final one-third segment of the vote.

Fans can have their say by visiting the fan voting page on CONCACAF.com, available here. Media should cast their ballot via the dedicated link to be sent separately to media members on CONCACAF’s distribution list.

Voting is open through 5:00 PM EST, Monday, January 18, 2016. Final votes in each of the 11 categories will be tallied and the winners announced via CONCACAF.com. 

IMAGE: Awards 2013