Fans, Media Once Again Have Voice In Deciding Annual NASL Awards

Photo credit: Rob Kinnan/Carolina RailHawks

The NASL is once again giving media and fans a voice in how its annual awards are decided. The league announced 2016 award details on Thursday, kicking off the October voting process that will ultimately crown the winners of this year’s honors.

“We seem to talk about it every year, but the excitement and intensity of our competition is extremely special,” NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson said. “The performances put forth by our clubs, players, and coaches make the NASL one of the most competitive professional leagues in North America, and we look forward to recognizing their achievements with our annual awards and allowing fans and media to be a big part of the process.”

The NASL gives out the following awards annually: Golden Ball (MVP), Golden Boot (Top Scorer), Golden Glove (Top Goalkeeper), Coach of the Year, Goal of the Year, Best XI, Young Player of the Year, Fair Play Award, and Humanitarian of the Year. Of those honors, media and fans will be able to vote on four, which are listed below:

• COACH OF THE YEAR
  • Voting period: Thursday, October 13 (3:30 p.m. ET) – Tuesday, October 25 (5 p.m. ET)
  • Media submit vote to NASL PR Department
  • Fans submit vote on NASL.com
• YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR
  • Voting period: Thursday, October 13 (3:30 p.m. ET) – Tuesday, October 25 (5 p.m. ET)
  • Media submit vote to NASL PR Department
  • Fans submit vote on NASL.com
• GOLDEN BALL
  • Voting period: Tuesday, October 18 (11 a.m. ET) – Tuesday, October 25 (5 p.m. ET)
  • Media submit vote to NASL PR Department
  • Fans submit vote on NASL.com
• GOAL OF THE YEAR
  • Voting period: Monday, October 31 (9 a.m. ET) – Wednesday, November 2 (9 a.m. ET)
  • Fans submit vote on NASL.com

The votes submitted by the media and fans will be compiled at the end of the voting period, and the winner will be determined. Several of the other awards are voted on by the league’s coaches, determined internally at the league level, or based entirely on statistics.

The award winners will be recognized in person the week of The Championship Final, which will be played the weekend of November 12.