The 5th Annual Football Blogging Awards held at Old Trafford

The 5th annual Football Blogging awards took place last Thursday; an event dedicated to the recognition of the best footballing blogs and aspiring journalists from around the globe.

However, the question remains whether football blogging will continue its upward trajectory in popularity and eventually challenge the status quo of the industry or continue to be the voice of those outside the mainstream? 

This was a consistent theme reiterated throughout the awards ceremony by the speakers, guest and nominees', each discussing the growing influence blogs are having on the way people are interacting with football.

The numbers back up this claim as 300,000 fans voted this year for their favourite blogs, more than twice the number who voted the previous year and four times as much as the year before that. 

The increase of fan interaction on social media directly correlates with the growth and prestige of the event, with this year’s award ceremony being biggest ever with over 700 people in attendance and household names such as Adidas and Budweiser sponsoring the event. 

There was a glitz and glamour to the FBAs, yet there was a light-heartedness to the proceedings, as people were more than happy to converse opinions, ideas and mutual admiration. It allowed burgeoning bloggers and aspiring journalists to make mutually beneficial connections and rub shoulders with seasoned professionals. There was even chance to test your skills at football table tennis before the awards commenced.

For each award there were two winners, one voted for solely by the fans and the other from a judging panel consisting of BBC's Phil McNulty, ex-footballer Danny Webber, former Everton Ladies goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis and more.

The winners from the 2016 FBAs:

Best Football Club Blog

Fans’ Choice – Anfield HQ

Judges’ Choice – I’d Radebe Leeds

Best New Football Blog

Fans’ Choice – johnjamessite

Judges’ Choice – The Football Lab

Best Young Football Blogger

Fans’ Choice – Matt Lynch

Judges’ Choice – Jordan-Luke McDonald

Best Football Podcast

Fans’ Choice – The Anfield Wrap

Judges’ Choice – The Gaffer Tapes

Best International Football Blog

Fans’ Choice – Phil Mac Giolla Bhain

Judges’ Choice – Football Paradise

Best Video Football Blog

Fans’ Choice – 442oons

Judges’ Choice – Palmers FC

Best Social Football Account

Fans’ Choice – TheSPORTbible

Judges’ Choice – Empire Of The Kop

Best Football Influencer

Fans’ Choice – Stan Collymore

Judges’ Choice – Guillem Balague

Best Football Freestyler

Fans’ Choice – The F2

Judges’ Choice – Andrew Henderson

Best Gambling Football Blog

Fans’ Choice – TheODDSBible

Judges’ Choice – The Sack Race

Best Gaming Football Blog

Fans’ Choice – Spencer FC

Judges’ Choice – Strikerless

The FBA’s reward the unsung heroes who manage their own blogs simply for the love of the game and it will be exciting to see how the FBAs evolve in years to come.