Here are your Footy Awards Winners!
Here are your Footy Awards Winners!
15,000 votes across 20 categories - read about the winners below!
After approximately 15,000 votes across 20 categories, your Footy Awards winners have been chosen! Aside from our Editor’s Award, all winners were chosen by a vote of local soccer fans and supporters. Duplicate votes and votes from fake emails were disqualified.
But first, thanks to everyone who participated in this celebration of our soccer community - including you, the voters!
Thanks to our partners Y’all Weekly and The Charlotte Post (Queen City Football Chronicle) and our expert panel of Jaylin Lindsey, Jessica Charman, Steve Goldberg, and our Emmy-winning host Daniel Bramlette for helping us announce the final nominees, and thank you to our Soccer Sheet coverage team of Jesse Kimmel, Yara Al Bayyari, and Rebekah Whilden.
Now, on to the awards!
(Graphics for winners can be found here)
Community Awards
Favorite Local Photographer - Jorge Torres
Runner Up - Taylor Banner
Favorite Local Soccer News Source - Topbin90
Runner Up - Charlotte Soccer Show
Favorite Local Soccer Podcast - Mint City Soccer Show
Runner Up - Charlotte Soccer Show
Favorite Local Soccer Reporter - Tie
Carroll Walton (The Charlotte Ledger) & Jorge Gonzales (Topbin90)
Favorite Local Soccer Commentator - Jessica Charman (WFNZ)
Runner Up - Will “Willy P” Palaszczuk (WFNZ)
Community Leader Award (Fan) - Hector Cortez
Runner Up - Becca Mitchum
Favorite Local Fan - Zeily Melendez
Runner Up - Chico (La Muerte)
Best Local Supporters Group - Mint City Collective
Runner Up - Carolina Hooliganz
Favorite Thing to Cheer About - Goals
Runner Up - The Poznań
Favorite Thing to Complain About - Messi Mania
Runner Up - PSLs and Season Ticket Prices
Moment of the Year - Charlotte FC defeats Miami, Earns Playoff Spot
Runner Up - Charlotte FC’s Leagues Cup Penalty Shootouts
Club & Player Awards
Community Leader Award (Club) - Brandt Bronico
Runner Up - Ashley Westwood
Fan Favorite Local Footballer - Jaylin Lindsey
Runner Up - Scott Arfield
Breakout Local Star - Patrick Agyemang
Runner Up - Adilson Malanda
Most Improved Local Player - Kerwin Vargas
Runner Up - Patrick Agyemang
Favorite Global Footballer of 2023 - Lionel Messi
Runner Up - Alex Morgan
Crown Legacy FC 2023 MVP - Brandon Cambridge
Runner Up - João Pedro
Charlotte Independence 2023 MVP - Austin Pack
Runner Up - Gabriel Obertan
NC Courage 2023 MVP - Emily Fox
Runner Up - Casey Murphy
North Carolina FC 2023 MVP - Louis Pérez
Runner Up - Brooks Thompson
Charlotte FC 2023 MVP - Karol Świderski
Runner Up - Ashley Westwood
Editor’s Award
Our Editor’s Award winner is Charlotte FC Ashley Westwood for his welcome leadership on and off the pitch. As I wrote in Queen City Nerve earlier this year:
Since joining the team, Westwood has been an integral piece of Charlotte’s lineup thanks to his experience and refined skill set. He’s been a key playmaker and scorer, with three goals and four assists in 29 starts this season.
However, this season was not a given for the skipper. Westwood suffered a “horrific ankle injury” in English Premier League play last year. After West Ham midfielder Nikola Vlasic fell on Westwood, then playing for Burnley, the veteran footballer thought his playing career might be over.
“I was really close to retiring in England, I thought that was it, but then coming to the MLS and coming to Charlotte gave me a boost,” said Westwood after Charlotte’s Oct. 7 win in Chicago. “I worked hard with the [physical therapists and trainers] to get back, and thankfully Zoran, [Lattanzio], and everyone at Charlotte showed faith in me. Like I said, I’m so happy to be here and so happy to be leading this team.”
…
“It’s been a tough season. We’ve had ups and downs,” said Westwood at an Oct. 23 press conference. “We’ve stuck together, even the boys who aren’t involved … It’s a real squad game. They’re just as important, the lads coming off the bench, the lads who aren’t starting. It’s a real testament to the character that we’ve built here. It’s exciting. I’m already excited for next season as well. The club’s in a really good place.”
Surprised? Happy? Angry? Share your thoughts on the Footy Awards in the comments - and stay tuned for more Footy Awards news!