WIREDGOV

A London youth football club invited to the White House is one of three outstanding projects to have made the shortlist for our Community Sports Initiative of the Year award at the Daily Mirror and Sport England Pride of Sport Awards.

Tuff FC will be up against the Olympic legacy initiative Super Saturday of Sport, and The Wave Project, which has transformed the lives of hundreds of vulnerable children and young people through surfing.

The deserving nominees were selected by a judging panel that included famous sportspeople Rebecca Adlington, Matt Dawson, Sally Gunnell and Barry McGuigan, among others.

With the winner set to be announced at the televised event taking place this month, our Community Sports Initiative of the Year award is one of ten awards set to be dished out on the night.

All of our finalists have incredible stories. We’re proud to give them a chance to tell them

Tanya Joseph, Sport England

Other categories include Disabled Sportsperson of the Year, Local Hero and Coach of the Year, and a full list of the final nominations shortlisted in each can be found via the Pride of Sport Awards website.

Celebrating the achievements of people who have contributed to grassroots sport at a local or national level, across all walks of life, the awards aim to raise awareness about sport and also encourage people to be more active on a regular basis.

Tanya Joseph, Sport England’s director of Business Partnerships, says: “Very often, the sport we see in the news involves professional footballers, Olympic champions or major events. Grassroots sport and all of those people who dedicate hours of their time to making it happen, rarely get a look in. We want to celebrate the people who day in, day out, make a difference to people’s lives.

“All of our finalists have incredible stories. We’re proud to give them a chance to tell them.”

• You can follow the Pride of Sport Awards 2015 @PrideofSport
• Tickets and a full preview available at www.prideofsportawards.co.uk