A RECORD number of finalists have been announced for the 2023 Bradford Sports Awards to take place on Thursday, March 9.

The awards dinner will celebrate the sporting achievements of athletes, of all ages and levels, coaches, administrators and volunteers across the Bradford District during 2022.

The Sportsman of the Year award is set to be hotly contested, with cricketing duo Adil Rashid and Harry Brook going up against European gold medal-winning boxer Harris Akbar and Premier League darts finalist Joe Cullen.

Bradford City Women player-manager Charlotte Stuart is up for Sportswoman of the Year, alongside Keighley's England rugby union star Ellie Kildunne.

The pair are joined in that category by taekwondo star Gail Watt, who is also nominated for the Active Lifestyle award.

Unsurprisingly, Keighley Cougars are in line for a hatful of prizes, after an extraordinary invincible season which saw them claim the Betfred League 1 by winning all 20 games.

They are guaranteed to win the Professional Club/Team of the Year award, being the only nominee, while they have also been nominated for the Sporting Highlight prize and the Sustainability Award.

If that was not enough, head coach Rhys Lovegrove is one of the eight Coach of the Year nominees.

Horizon Taekwondo Academy, which has clubs across the Bradford District, are up Young Club/Team of the Year, Amateur Performance of the Year, while they also have veteran Watt, coaches and young athletes nominated for individual prizes.

Mike Abbott is one of four nominees for the Special Recognition Award. He founded Bradford Olympian Trampolining Club in 1985, and is still their head coach, with his youngsters enjoying great success last year.

Winners will be announced across the 20 different awards, including two new awards for 2023 – the Sustainability Award and the Diversity and Inclusion Award.

For the first time the awards, hosted by Tanya Arnold, will be staged at Life Centre Events in Bradford, a wonderful new venue for this prestigious occasion.

James Mason and Charles Dacres, co-chairs at Active Bradford, said: “The unprecedented level of nominations received, and the quality of finalists reflects the stature of the awards.

“This is without doubt one of the most inspiring events that we have the pleasure of attending. We look forward to recognising the sporting talent we have across the city.”

Kersten England, chief executive of main sponsors City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, said: “I’m very proud to see how the Bradford Sports Awards has grown from its inception seven years ago to one of the biggest events in the city’s sporting calendar.

“It showcases the fantastic sporting talent we have across the district, but also recognises the wonderful work that the unsung heroes do to keep our community active.”

The Bradford Sports Awards is delivered by Active Bradford, in partnership with City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council.

It is supported by category sponsors JU:MP, Living Well and Leeds Trinity University with sponsors, Broadway Shopping Centre, Bradford Ice Arena and West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.

Tickets for the Bradford Sports Awards are available now at https://www.activebradford.com/bsa

THE FULL LIST OF FINALISTS CAN BE SEEN BELOW:

Senior Achievers - (Sponsored by Leeds Trinity University)

Sportswoman:

Charlotte Stuart

Ellie Kildunne

Gail Watt

Sportsman:

Adil Rashid

Harris Akbar

Harry Brook

Jack Carthy

Joe Cullen

Tasif Khan

Disability Sportsperson:

Ahsan Sakandar

Ella Curtis

Harvey Redmonds

Zak Hussain

Club/Team – Professional:

Keighley Cougars

Club/Team - Amateur Performance:

Gracie Barra Bradford

Horizon Taekwondo Academy

Sedbergh Amateur Boxing Club

Wainman family - BriSCA F1 stock car

Club/Team - Amateur Participation:

Bingley St Ives Golf Club

Horizon Taekwondo Academy

The LuvaBulls Cheerleaders

Young Achievers - (Sponsored by JU:MP)

Young Sportswomen:

Amelia Brooksbank

Gina Bene-Hamill

Mia Enderby

Millie Carter

Yvie Ling-Hegarty

Young Sportsman:

Hayden Quirke

Jake Passmore

Travis Yu

Zac Toothill

Young Disability Sportsman:

Nathan Mitchell

Rais Hussain

Young Disability Sportswoman:

Emily Hebden

Emma Camden

Libby Smith

Shannon Cairney

Young Club/team:

Bradford Olympian Trampoline Club

City of Bradford Artistic Swimming Club

Horizon Taekwondo Academy

Sedbergh Amateur Boxing Club

Achievers - (Sponsored by Living Well)

Active Lifestyle:

Ascendance

Gail Watt

Happy Healthy You

Active School:

Bowling Park Primary School

Killinghall Primary School

Margaret McMillan Primary School

Peel Park Primary School

Sustainability Award:

Action for Sport

Keighley Cougars

Lee Craven

Diversity and Inclusivity Award:

BEAP Community Partnership

Bradford Park Avenue Ladies Cricket club

Great Horton Church Cricket Club

International Mixed Ability Sports

Active Workplace - (Sponsored by West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce):

Manningham Housing Association

Md Zafar Niaz & Bengal Tigers Bradford

Outstanding Contribution Category

Coach - (sponsored by Bradford Ice Arena):

Andy Brown

Ciara Patchett

Mike Conway

Natalie Simpson-Kidd

Rhys Lovegrove

Sokii Abbas

Tasif Khan

Tayaba Parveen

Volunteer - (Sponsored by Broadway Shopping Centre):

Alex Walmsley

Hollie Whitaker

Judy Robinson

Steven Birkin

Sporting Highlight:

Horizon Taekwondo Academy

Keighley Cougars

Wainman family - BriSCA F1 stock car

Special Recognition - (Sponsored by City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council):

Andrew Shepherd

Dennis Flaherty

Margaret Simpson

Mike Abbott