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
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