We are delighted to announce Mickey Demetriou as the PFA Community Champion Winner for Newport County AFC for the 22/23 season.
Club Captain, Mickey Demetriou is not only a leader on the pitch but off it pitch too. He works with County in the Community on a monthly basis to deliver fun experiences for fans and children around the local area.
We asked the skipper what he enjoys most about working with the community, this is what he said “The hard work that goes into all the County in the Community Programmes is second to none. Norman and the rest of the guys put the upmost effort in to making sure every child is planned for whether that is during the school visits, Question & Answer sessions over Zoom or the half term football camps. The most important thing for me is that during those sessions the children are all enjoying it and have a smile on their faces throughout. Each time I have taken part I can see that the happy faces are in abundance and that’s a credit to everyone involved in County in the Community. If that is helped just a little bit by me or any other player attending the sessions then it makes it all worth it. It’s something that throughout my career so far, I’ve made an effort to be involved with. As players, we have a responsibility to our Club and the City in which we play football in to get involved in all the projects because we’re in a fortunate position as Footballers and it’s nice to be able give back some of our time and help make a difference in the community.”
We spoke to County in the Community CEO, Norman Parselle on what it is Mickey does and contributes to projects and he said this… “Mickey is Club Captain and Ambassador for the Charity County in the Community. He has been an ambassador for several community programmes during his six seasons at the club including College, Primary Stars and Women & Girls. Mickey is always positive when it comes to community engagement and when he attends, he always gives his full commitment, just like when he plays for Newport County AFC. He is one of the nicest people you will ever meet and has made a very big impression on participants at a range of school & community sessions over the years. Mickey has been great at embracing the digital side of player engagement by communicating with the community groups and individuals via Zoom/Teams/Facetime and social media on numerous occasions during the last couple of years.”
Maheta Molango, the CEO of the Professional Footballers’ Association said “The PFA has once again been immensely proud of the outstanding efforts of players this season and we feel they should be recognised for their support and involvement in the local community. The Award will hopefully raise awareness of the importance many of our members attach to their roles off the pitch and highlight their continued commitment to support those most in need along with engaging in areas where they have a personal interest. We would like to offer our congratulations to this season’s recipient of the 2022/23 PFA Community Champion Award.”
Mickey is fantastic to have around the club and the community and we are incredibly pleased to award this to him for the second season running, as a symbol of the hard work he puts in, on and off the pitch.
Congratulations Mickey Demetriou!