The 2019/20 grassroots football season saw the debut of Hype Train Football Club, with our maiden campaign finishing after 16 games in mid-March due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Affiliated to the Berks & Bucks FA, our county Football Association ran a Goal of the Season Award for the first time, with our very own Callum Parr-Jones winning the judges vote to become the first name on the award. Read more about our second 'Goal of the Season' winner from this past season, following Martin King's Football in Berkshire 'PlaySport UK' award of the same name. All aboard.
2019/20 Berks & Bucks FA Goal of the Season Award:
Based in Reading, Hype Train FC are affiliated with, and under the umbrella of, the Berks & Bucks FA - a County FA covering several counties and thousands of teams across Saturday and Sunday football leagues.
The team at the BBFA launched a county-wide effort to find the best goal in the region, with eleven goals nominated for contention. Each goal had to go through a round of polling on the BBFA's official Twitter account, with a total of five goals shortlisted for a panel of specialists.
Of the five shortlists goals, Hype Train FC had three on the ballet, with Sam Paddon, Callum Parr-Jones and Martin King all winning their respective polls.
The panellists who reviewed the chosen goals were England Cerebral Palsy national team player, Martin Sinclair, former Wigan Athletic captain and FA Cup winner, Emmerson Boyce, and the host of the BBFA's The Grassroots Football Coach Podcast, Mark Rivers.
In a reveal on Twitter (embedded below), the panellists got together on a video chat and ultimately decided that Callum Parr Jones's effort against AFC Cressex on February 8th 2020 was the best goal in the county, beating off competition from Slough Town FC's Scott Davies (second place), as well as from a teammate in Sam Paddon (third place).
This is the second Goal of the Season award that the team has won this season, with Martin King winning the Football in Berkshire 'PlaySport UK Goal of the Season Award' on July 30th 2020 for his strike against Cressex in the same game.
More about the Berks & Berks FA Goal of the Season Award:
The 2019/20 BBFA Goal of the Season award is the inaugural year of the competition, with the award presented on Friday 7th August 2020, the day after the 2019/20 Grassroots Football Awards were held virtually.
CPJ's goal made the panellists sit back in joy, not only for Callum Fox-Spence down injured during the play, but due to the technique, finesse and skill when hitting a half-volley past the opposing keeper.
Mark Rivers stated that the goal from Parr-Jones was 'Le Tissier-esque', whilst Martin Sinclair compares Sam Paddon's effort against AFC Winkfield to an effort by Dider Drogba against Liverpool!
What FA Cup winner Emerson Boyce had to say about CPJ's winning effort:
"The reason I like this goal is the way that he (Parr-Jones) picked it up, where's he's dribbled it to, and you can say he's only got one thing on his mind, but the fact that the ball jumped up and he had to improvise on his finish... It's all about technique, control, awareness and confidence... Pure confidence to finish it.
The fact he picks the ball up from the half-way line, drives, great awareness, the ball bounces up and has the awareness, technique and ability to finish outside the box on the volley - fantastic technique, in to the top corner and over the goalkeeper! Well done Callum. Fantastic goal!"
Thoughts from Hype Train FC General Secretary, Robert Austin:
"The close of the 2019/20 season was difficult. Not only did we lose out on playing half of our games due to mother nature's weather and viruses, multiple latter-stage cup runs and a chance at winning our league title, but the team was finding its stride. Winning multiple goal of the season awards has been a positive spin on the season and it is some form of positive given the stop-start nature of our debut season as a club.
Callum Parr-Jones's winning effort and Martin King's wonderful goals from the same game split our team's WhatsApp group about what was better and deserving of the prize - ultimately both have been rewarded, though we have to make special mention of Callum's goal - officially there was no better goal in the multiple counties that constitute the Berks & Bucks FA.
Our football club houses the ability for players to be on camera every single game and provides the avenues to be recognised for these awards and after a year of capturing our team's journey, it is fantastic to see the fruits of our hard work breed positive results. Nobody in grassroots football offers the total package of presentation like us, so this won't be the last time you see our team nominated for these awards - my money is already on Callum to retrain his accolade next season.
Callum Parr-Jones is a wonderful talent for us, drives the team forward, with each of his six goals last season, bar one, all coming from long-range efforts that required the upmost skill and technique. I love CPJ's confidence on the ball and his determination for the team and I can't wait to see the midfielder in action next season and it's only a matter of time before we see more from our maestro!
I'd also like to thank the panel of pro's for their insight, your glee at our goals are reward enough - that's what football is about, putting smiles on faces and creating wonderful moments that can be replayed to death.
The Berks & Bucks FA have let us know that there won't be a physical award for Callum, though we fully plan to commemorate this achievement with an award of our own - and I fully plan on celebrating this with both of our Goal of the Season winners (including Martin King) before the start of next season."
Watch highlights of Callum Parr-Jones's goal against AFC Cressex:
Want to know more about The Hype Train?
The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015, specialising in Fantasy sports reporting, starting with Fantasy Premier League (FPL), before expanding to MLS Fantasy coverage in 2018.
We pride ourselves in providing beautiful graphics, statistics, in-depth analytical reporting and free weekly insight for hopeful players attempting to climb rankings tables. We are also occasional media reviewers, with a keen interest to review games, live sport, and professional wrestling.
In 2019, Hype Train Football Club was formed, becoming the first Fantasy Football website to take to the field. HTFC is a socially active team across social and web channels, providing regular match highlights, match reports, comprehensive player statistics and unique player profiles.
The Hype Train were nominated and shortlisted for the 'Best Football Blog' in 2016 by the Football Bloggers Association at their annual Football Blogging Awards (The FBA's), and were again shortlisted as a finalist in 2019 in the 'Best Fantasy Football Blog' category.
You can follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, follow Hype Train FC on Instagram, subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content, or visit our website here at www.thehypetrain.co.uk
All aboard.
