The winner of Budweiser’s Dream Goal competition, a hunt for the UK’s best amateur goal of the season, has officially been revealed as 33-year-old Warren Byrne from Durham.
Byrne has beaten thousands of players from across the UK to be crowned Dream Goal winner, and will have his screamer analysed on national television by Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher, Jamie Redknapp and Ed Chamberlin. He also takes home a £50k grant from Budweiser Club Futures to support the non-league club of his choice.
A gobsmacked Byrne was “shocked” his goal was chosen by the pundits. “My club, South Shields FC, are completely made up with my win and have already started making big plans for the £50k prize. Getting a call from Carragher, Redknapp and Chamberlin was also an absolute highlight, and one I won’t forget anytime soon – thank you Budweiser Dream Goal!”
The winning strike, which can be viewed on SLR’s Shopflix site, came during a nail-biting game against Tow Law Town in the Northern League Division 2.
Laura Salway, Senior Brand Manager at Budweiser, commented: “Budweiser is a huge supporter of British football – from grassroots to glory – and we’re delighted that we have given Warren, and a number of other contenders, the chance to see their incredible goals celebrated how they deserve to be – on a national stage. Massive congratulations to Warren on being crowned this year’s Dream Goal winner!”
As part of this year’s new prize package, in addition to the £50k winner’s grant, Budweiser Club Futures is also awarding five £10k grants to runners-up for their outstanding goals. These go to:
- Chris Bacon – Wisbech Town FC
- Raymond Westbrook – Portsmouth Amputees FC
- Louis Webster – Home Rangers
- Colm Coveney – Blackpool Celtic
- Neil Clydesdale – Banbridge Rangers FC
The winner and runners-up will also receive an FA training session for their teams.
All of this year’s new prizes have been granted as part of the Budweiser Club Futures programme – a grant scheme run in partnership with The Football Association and The Football Foundation to support grassroots football across the country. Last year, Budweiser announced a new long-term agreement with The FA, which will see the brand become the Official Beer of The Emirates FA Cup until 2018.
