Pearce the former Three Lions and Nottingham For est skipper and now Pitching In ambassador - visited both Northern Premier League club Ilkeston Town and Southern League side Malvern Town to congratulate a dedicated duo on being crowned Pitching In Volunteers of the Season.
Ilkeston's Mark Frost, 50, and Malvern's Josh Moorhouse, 23, were two of three volunteers recognised for their efforts and rewarded with a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Dublin for last season's Europa League final.
The pair in addition to Howard Bailey, a volunteer from Isthmian League club Cheshunt got the chance to watch Atalanta beat Bayern Leverkusen 3-0 before playing on the famous Aviva Stadium pitch alongside legends Diego Forlan and Robert Pires.
And off the back of that who cut his prize, Pearce teeth in Non-League football playing for Wealdstone before navigating his way up to the highest level visited both.
Frost and Moorhouse at the end of last month to congratulate them on their achievements.
Pitching In, Entain's grassroots sport Investment programme and sponsor of the Trident Leagues, launched the Volunteer of The Season Award to celebrate the thousands of volunteers across the country who dedicate their time to supporting grassroots and non-elite football.
Pearce knows people like Frost, Moorhouse and Bailey - who is due to be visited later this month are the lifeblood of the Non-League game and urged others around the country to follow in their dedicated footsteps.
"It's an absolute honour for me to be here, have a chat with both Mark and Josh congratulate them," said Pearce, who earned 78 international caps and helped England reach both the Italia 90 World Cup and Euro 96 semi-finals.
This story is from the September 15, 2024 edition of The Non-League Football Paper.
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This story is from the September 15, 2024 edition of The Non-League Football Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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