MIAMI, Florida, (CMC) – The Jamaican pair of Khadija “Bunny” Shaw and Leon Bailey were among the nominees announced on Tuesday for the Concacaf Women’s and Men’s Player-of-the-Year awards, respectively.
According to a news release from the football confederation, fan voting has opened for the two awards, which is based on performance statistics and the input of football experts.
Shaw, a previous winner of the Concacaf award, made a significant impact, especially at the club level in England, where she displayed her skill and versatility in front of the goal for Manchester City Women before a leg injury ended her season early, and, perhaps, cost her side the Women’s Super League (WSL) title.

The 25-year-old striker played 25 matches and scored an impressive 22 goals with five assists, and her remarkable scoring talent earned her a nomination for the prestigious 2023 Ballon d’Or.
Shaw was named WSL Player-of-the-Season for 2023-24, and won the Golden Boot with 21 goals in 18 appearances.

Her consistent excellence on the field has made her a key nominee for the 2023-24 Concacaf Awards, highlighting her as one of the top players in the confederation.
The other nominees for the women’s award are the Mexican pair Charlyn Corral and Jacqueline ⁠⁠Ovalle, Melchie Dumornay of Haiti, Adriana Leon of Canada and Sophia Smith of the United States.
The embattled Bailey, a dynamic winger, had an impressive year with Aston Villa in the English Premier League and the Jamaican men’s national team.
At the club level, he played an important role for Villa, featuring in 52 matches, scoring 14 goals, and contributing 14 assists.

For Jamaica, Bailey played 11 matches in 2023, scoring two goals and providing two assists, notably helping the team reach the semifinals of the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, where he played in five matches and scored a goal.
Although he has now fallen out with the Jamaica Football Federation, his outstanding performances have earned him a nomination for the 2023-24 Concacaf Awards.
The other nominees for the men’s award are Adalberto Carrasquilla of Panama, the Canadian pair of Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies, Santiago Giménez of Mexico and Christian Pulisic of the United States.
To be eligible to be shortlisted for the awards, all players had to meet a set of criteria including playing for the senior men’s or women’s national team of a Concacaf member association in eligible Concacaf and FIFA tournaments and matches and playing for a club in the 2023-24 season in a Concacaf and FIFA-sanctioned top division men’s or women’s professional league in the Concacaf region.

Following the nomination process, Concacaf will continue its football first philosophy with a voting process that ensures players, coaches, media, and fans determine the winners.
At the conclusion of the voting period on August 2, the player in each category with the most votes out of the 100 available will be named 2023-24 Concacaf Women’s or Men’s Player-of-the-Year.