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BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award facts for kids

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BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award
Presented by BBC Sports Personality of the Year
Country United Kingdom
First awarded 2003; 21 years ago (2003)
Currently held by Des Smith (2023)

The BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award is an award given annually as part of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony each December. The award is given to the sportsperson who has made a substantive yet unrecognised contribution to sport. Sportspeople are nominated by the public, and must be aged 16 years or over on 1 January that year. Nominees may not put themselves forward or be nominated by a member of their immediate family. A nominee must actively help others participate in a sport at any level on a voluntary basis. The work they do must not be part of their job or take part within their places of work, and they must not be a participant in the sporting group they are helping. Previous winners of the award are ineligible for nomination. One winner is selected from each of the twelve BBC English Regions, and the three national regions: BBC Scotland, BBC Wales, and BBC Northern Ireland. A judging panel then chooses the Unsung Hero winner from the fifteen regional winners.

The inaugural winner in 2003 was 63-year-old Nobby Woodcock, for "his unstinting work with grassroots football in Wales". Of the fourteen recipients to date, four were chosen for their contributions to football; the other recipients contributed towards boxing, basketball, athletics, swimming, and the Special Olympics. Three of the fourteen winners have each been put forward from the BBC East Midlands and BBC South regions, and two from the BBC East region. The other winners came from the BBC London, BBC North West, BBC Northern Ireland, BBC Scotland, BBC West Midlands and BBC Wales regions. The most recent award was presented in 2023 to Des Smith.

Winners

By year

BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award winners
Year Nationality Winner Location BBC Region Sport Rationale Note
2003  WAL Nobby Woodcock Newport, South Wales BBC Wales Football for "his unstinting work with grassroots football in Wales".
2004  ENG Abdullah Ben-Kmayal Peckham, London BBC London Football for his work with Bethwin Football Club, a club he founded and funded personally.
2005  ENG Trevor Collins Isle of Wight BBC South Swimming for more than 25 years work in administration and coaching at the West Wight Swimming Club.
2006  ENG Val Hanover Oswestry, Shropshire BBC West Midlands Special Olympics for spending nearly 30 years organising Special Olympics for thousands of people with learning difficulties in North Shropshire.
2007  ENG Margaret Simons Bicester, Oxfordshire BBC South Football for over 40 years of work with Bardwell FC, a community football team that she founded in 1964.
2008  ENG Ben Geyser Dorchester, Dorset BBC South Boxing for setting up three boxing clubs, and campaigning for a permanent home for the Dorchester Amateur Boxing Club.
2009  ENG Doreen Adcock Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire BBC East Swimming for teaching "over 13,000 people to swim in the town over the last 35 years".
2010  ENG Lance Haggith Bedfordshire BBC East Basketball for providing children of differing abilities coaching in basketball.
2011  SCO Janice Eaglesham & Ian Mirfin Scotland BBC Scotland Athletics for providing coaching to disabled athletes.
2012  ENG Sue & Jim Houghton Leicester BBC East Midlands Various for transforming a derelict Leicestershire sports ground into a popular community facility for tennis, squash, association football, bowls and dance.
2013  ENG Joe & Maggie Forber Manchester BBC North West Basketball recognised regionally for their hard work at the Amaechi Basketball Centre in Whalley Range.
2014  ENG Jill Stidever Hinckley, Leicestershire BBC East Midlands Swimming for nearly 60 years' work helping children with special needs learn to swim.
2015  NIR Damien Lindsay Belfast BBC Northern Ireland Football
2016  ENG Marcellus Baz Nottingham BBC East Midlands Boxing for providing free boxing classes to hundreds of young people at his boxing school.
2017  ENG Denise Larrad Hinckley and Bosworth, Leicester BBC East Midlands Various for helping the elderly get involved in sport and leading running groups encouraging people of all ages to get active.
2018  SCO Kirsty Ewen Inverness BBC Scotland Swimming overcame mental health issues to inspire others to do the same and find a better place through swimming.
2019  ENG Keiren Thompson Bulwell, Nottingham BBC East Midlands Various
2020  NZL
 ENG
Sgt. Matt Ratana East Grinstead, West Sussex BBC South East Rugby led a resurgence in popularity at the East Grinstead Rugby Club after becoming head coach. Awarded posthumously.
2021  ENG Sam Barlow Hull BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Various founded a fitness club for those experiencing loss after losing her husband to cancer.
2022  ENG Mike Alden Bristol BBC West Football founded Park Knowle FC in one of Bristol's most deprived areas, open to players of all ages and ability.
2023  ENG Des Smith Sheffield BBC Yorkshire Various founded Sheffield Caribbean Sports Club to provide sporting opportunities for ethnic minorities and encourage community cohesion

By region

This table lists the total number of awards won by the BBC Region through which the recipient qualified for the award.

Winners by region
Nationality Number of wins
BBC East Midlands 6
BBC South 3
BBC East 2
BBC Scotland 2
BBC London 1
BBC North West 1
BBC Northern Ireland 1
BBC South East 1
BBC Wales 1
BBC West Midlands 1
BBC Yorkshire 1
BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire 1

By sport

This table lists the total number of awards won by the sport the recipient contributed towards.

Winners by sport
Sport of contribution Number of wins
Football 4
Swimming 4
Basketball 3
Boxing 2
Athletics 1
Rugby 1
Special Olympics 1
Various 5
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