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Shortlist announced for Daily Mirror and Sport England Pride of Sport Awards
The shortlist has been announced for the Daily Mirror and Sport England Pride of Sport Awards, celebrating elite performers, unsung local heroes, and those who volunteer and devote their free time to sport across England.
The judges met in early November to cast their votes for the inaugural finalists of the Mirror and Sport England’s Pride of Sport Awards, after six weeks of public nominations.
The judging panel were handed the difficult task of creating a shortlist for the 11 categories from a wealth of strong nominations. Those tasked with such decisions included sporting greats such as Paralympic legend Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Olympic star Beth Tweddle, England cricket’s Ashes-winner Simon Jones, and Sue Day, the former England women’s rugby union captain. They were joined by Sport England’s Tanya Joseph, Minister for Sport, Helen Grant, and Julie Whelan, CEO of the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust.
Sport England’s Director of Business Partnerships, Tanya Joseph, said: “The Pride of Sport Awards celebrate all the people who make sport happen in their communities.
"We have been truly impressed with the number and quality of nominees. The final shortlist recognises the achievements of those people who have used sport as a means of making a difference to their local area.”
Minister for Sport Helen Grant said: “I felt honoured to be part of the judging panel for the Daily Mirror Pride of Sports Awards.
"Everyone on the shortlist had inspirational stories of using sport to make a positive difference to people’s lives, these awards give them the recognition they deserve for their dedication.”
The award ceremony is taking place on Wednesday 3 December at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, and will be hosted by television presenter Ben Shepherd.
For more information on the awards, visit the Pride of Sports Awards website.
Pride of Sport Awards: The finalists
Inspirational Performance of the Year
Jenny Jones, Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics
Ross Murdoch, Commonwealth Games, Glasgow
Jo Pavey, European Athletics Championships, Zurich
Coach/Manager of the Year
Gary Street, England Women’s Rugby Union team coach
Bill Furniss, Head coach of British Swimming
John Peacock, England under-17 manager
JD Sports Young Sports Person of the Year
Ben Dijkstra, Youth Olympics triathlete
Jonathan Leko, West Brom and England under-17 international
Giarnni Regini-Moran, Youth Olympics gymnast
Checkatrade.com Local Hero Award
Mohammed Zafran, Sport in the Community
Clasford Sterling, Football coach, Broadwater Farm FC
One Stop Local Team of the Year
Manchester Cricket Club
Red Star Athletics club
Senrab Football Cub
Volunteer of the Year
Alexandra Goldstone, Football
Maurice Vaughan, Cricket
John Constendine, General Sports
Fitness First Charity Challenge of the Year
James Bowtell, Cycling
Natasha Lambert, Sailing
Phil Wiggins, Triathalon
Disability Sport Award
Will Bailey, Table Tennis
Jordanne Whiley, Tennis
Jade Etherington, Skiing
Community Sports Project of the Year
Back to Netball, Netball
Bury Football Club Community Trust-walking football, Football
The Boxing Academy, Boxing
Event of the Year
Commonwealth Games
Invictus Games
Tour de France - Yorkshire
Women’s Tour of Britain
