Ladies Football 4 Fun Wins King’s Award for Voluntary Service

Katie Macleod-Peters runs one of the sessions in Cotteridge, Birmingham, with fellow volunteer Gemma Ryan. She said the group's growth showed how many women were "waiting in the wings" for a chance to play.

"We were over the moon. It's such a proud moment," she said.

The pair started their own sessions after attending a class that was far from home. "On the drive back, we were thinking 'this is quite far away. Wouldn't it be cool if there was one near us'?" she said.

They expected a couple of players at the first session. Instead, "25 [to] 30 people turned up," Macleod-Peters said, and there are now more than 100 people in the group's WhatsApp chat.

Sessions are free. Players range from beginners to women returning to the sport after many years away. Macleod-Peters, a clinical psychologist, had not played since she was 10 and wanted something that was not competitive and "didn't require heaps of commitment".

Other winners in the West Midlands

Ledbury Rugby Football Club, founded in Herefordshire in 1883, also won. More than 100 volunteers support the club, which has more than 300 junior members and about 100 senior members.

Chair Ellie Ramsey said the club was "immensely proud". She called the award "an extraordinary achievement" that reflected the "commitment, generosity and dedication" of its volunteers.

Hartlebury Castle Trust, which manages the heritage attraction in Worcestershire, was recognized, as was Khushdil Ladies, a Telford knitting group that donates baby and toddler woollens locally. The Shropshire Union Canal Society, which works to promote, protect and restore the canal network, also made the list.

Its chairman, David Carter, said he hoped the recognition would help volunteers complete their tasks more easily. He said members took "a great deal of pride" in their work.

Macleod-Peters described the King's Award as both "special and important". Her advice to other would-be players was simple. "It is always the best idea to go and play football, no matter what," she said.