A former Flintshire schoolboy, Premier League striker and Welsh International, Ian Rush played for Hawarden from the age of 15, before joining Chester City as a schoolboy.

Ian scored 32 goals in 19 games for the club's Youth team - the same team that boasted a squad list consisting of Barry Horne, another former Wales international, and ex-Chester City duo Ian Edwards and David Brett.

Since 2002, he has been involved in the McDonald’s community football programme, helping to improve the standard of the grassroots game in Wales and beyond.

As Community Partner of the FAW and WFT, McDonald's is helping to promote grassroots football through The Welsh Community Football Awards which aim to recognise and reward people across the country who make a difference to grassroots football in their local community – from coaches and clubs, through to schools, players and volunteers – the people who dedicate their time to developing tomorrow’s young talent and help ensure safety and best practice in tens of thousands of clubs up and down the country.

Whilst at the club, Ian caught up with club officials, players, parents and his former coach Mike Lewis, as well as watch the under 14s encounter with Penyfforrdd.

Speaking at the club, Ian Rush was clear about the vital importance of the grassroots: "As a professional footballer, you never forget being a kid and kicking a ball around with your friends – that was how most of our careers began.

"Coming back to the club has reminded me of all the people from my own grassroots career and how important they were in those early years. This hasn’t changed today with thousands of people giving up their time to allow children to enjoy football so I’d encourage everyone involved in grassroots football in Wales to get on the web site and nominate those people now.”

The 2011 Welsh Community Football Awards 2011, presented by McDonald’s celebrate national and regional winners in the following categories, with national winners being announced at Cardiff Castle on 23rd June 2011:

· WFT Coach of the Year – sponsored by McDonald’s
· WFT Club of the Year – sponsored by McDonald’s
· WFT Volunteer of the Year – sponsored by McDonald’s
· WFT School of the Year
· WFT Girl player of the Year
· WFT Boy player of the Year
· WFT Disability Girl of the Year
· WFT Disability Boy of the Year
· WFT Lifetime Achievement

To find out more and to nominate your grassroots heroes, log on to http://www.welshfootballtrust.org.uk/awards now. Nominations are open until 18th April 2011.

Once the nomination process has closed on 18th April, local winners will be selected by the County FAs and will be put forward to the Welsh Community Football Awards regional judging panel. These regional winners will then be shortlisted for the national awards with national winners being selected by a prestigious judging panel to include Ian Rush, McDonald’s Director of Welsh Football and Neil Ward, Chief Executive of the Welsh Football Trust.

To watch the video of Ian at the Gladstone, which features clips of club President Fred Evans and other officials and players, click this link: http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/hawardenrangersfootballclub/videos/ian-rush-returns-to-rangers-to-13439.html

To see photos from the day, click http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/hawardenrangersfootballclub/photos/ian-rush-returns-to-rangers-to-113787.html