Three Kelowna United players have been acknowledged for their outstanding leadership qualities.

Emily Metz, Corey Bennett and Francisco Rubio were recently presented with Valley First's inaugural Kelowna United Youth Excellence Awards.

Metz, a member of the United U15 girls soccer program, won the award for sportsmanship.

Bennett, who plays with the United U18 boys, won the leadership award, while Rubio, a U13 player, was named winner of the community award.

As part of its sponsorship of Kelowna United Football Club, Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union, launched the awards to acknowledge youth who were showing leadership qualities on and off the field.

After combing through 65 nominations, the three winning players were each awarded with a trophy, a $500 RESP and a $500 gift certificate for BestBuy.

The winners were each selected based on receiving the most votes and meeting the of the awards.