BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award facts for kids

The BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award is a special prize given out every December. It's part of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year celebration. This award goes to someone in sports who has done a lot of important work, but might not be famous for it. They are like the hidden heroes who make a big difference behind the scenes.

What is the Unsung Hero Award?

This award celebrates people who help sports happen for others. These heroes often volunteer their time. They might coach young teams, organize events, or keep local sports clubs running. Their hard work helps many people enjoy sports and stay active.

How Did It Start?

The first Unsung Hero Award was given in 2003. The very first winner was Nobby Woodcock, who was 63 years old. He won for his amazing work helping local football teams in Wales. Since then, many different sports have been recognized. These include football, boxing, basketball, athletics, swimming, and sailing. As of 2024, people from all over the UK have won this award. The most recent winner in 2024 was Jean Paton.

How Are Heroes Chosen?

Anyone can suggest a sports hero for this award! Here's how it works:

• People nominate someone they think deserves the award.
• The person nominated must be at least 16 years old.
• They cannot nominate themselves or be nominated by their close family.
• The hero must volunteer their time to help others play sports. This means it's not part of their paid job.
• They also cannot be a player in the group they are helping.
• Once someone has won this award, they cannot be nominated again.

First, a winner is chosen from each of the 12 BBC regions in England. Then, one winner is also chosen from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Finally, a special group of judges picks the main Unsung Hero winner from these 15 regional heroes.

Who Are the Unsung Heroes?

Many amazing people have won the Unsung Hero Award. They come from different places and help with many kinds of sports.

Winners Over the Years

Here are some of the people who have won this special award:

BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award winners

Year	Nationality	Winner	Location	BBC Region	Sport	Reason for winning	Note
2003	WAL	Nobby Woodcock	Newport, South Wales	BBC Wales	Football	For his tireless work with local football in Wales.
2004	ENG	Abdullah Ben-Kmayal	Peckham, London	BBC London	Football	For starting and funding Bethwin Football Club himself.
2005	ENG	Trevor Collins	Isle of Wight	BBC South	Swimming	For over 25 years of coaching and helping at West Wight Swimming Club.
2006	ENG	Val Hanover	Oswestry, Shropshire	BBC West Midlands	Special Olympics	For nearly 30 years of organizing Special Olympics for people with learning difficulties.
2007	ENG	Margaret Simons	Bicester, Oxfordshire	BBC South	Football	For over 40 years of work with Bardwell FC, a community football team she started.
2008	ENG	Ben Geyser	Dorchester, Dorset	BBC South	Boxing	For setting up three boxing clubs and working for a permanent home for Dorchester Amateur Boxing Club.
2009	ENG	Doreen Adcock	Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire	BBC East	Swimming	For teaching over 13,000 people to swim in her town over 35 years.
2010	ENG	Lance Haggith	Bedfordshire	BBC East	Basketball	For coaching children of different abilities in basketball.
2011	SCO	Janice Eaglesham & Ian Mirfin	Scotland	BBC Scotland	Athletics	For coaching disabled athletes.
2012	ENG	Sue & Jim Houghton	Leicester	BBC East Midlands	Various	For turning an old sports ground into a popular community place for tennis, squash, football, bowls, and dance.
2013	ENG	Joe & Maggie Forber	Manchester	BBC North West	Basketball	Recognized for their hard work at the Amaechi Basketball Centre.
2014	ENG	Jill Stidever	Hinckley, Leicestershire	BBC East Midlands	Swimming	For nearly 60 years of helping children with special needs learn to swim.
2015	NIR	Damien Lindsay	Belfast	BBC Northern Ireland	Football	Founded St James' Swifts F.C. to help young people in a tough part of his city.
2016	ENG	Marcellus Baz	Nottingham	BBC East Midlands	Boxing	For giving 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 older people get into sport and leading running groups for all ages.
2018	SCO	Kirsty Ewen	Inverness	BBC Scotland	Swimming	Overcame her own challenges to inspire others to find well-being through swimming.
2019	ENG	Keiren Thompson	Bulwell, Nottingham	BBC East Midlands	Various	Runs the 'Helping Kids Achieve' project in a less fortunate area of Nottingham.
2020	NZL  ENG	Sgt. Matt Ratana	East Grinstead, West Sussex	BBC South East	Rugby	Helped the East Grinstead Rugby Club become popular again as head coach. Awarded after his passing.
2021	ENG	Sam Barlow	Hull	BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire	Various	Founded a fitness club for people dealing with loss after her husband's passing.
2022	ENG	Mike Alden	Bristol	BBC West	Football	Founded Park Knowle FC in a less fortunate area of Bristol, open to all ages and skill levels.
2023	ENG	Des Smith	Sheffield	BBC Yorkshire	Various	Founded Sheffield Caribbean Sports Club to offer sports to minority groups and bring the community together.
2024	ENG	Jean Paton	Lymington, Hampshire	BBC South	Sailing	For her many years of volunteering and teaching at Salterns Sailing Club.

Heroes from Different Regions

The Unsung Hero Award has been won by people from many different parts of the UK. The BBC East Midlands region has had the most winners, with six. The BBC South region is next with four winners.

Heroes in Different Sports

These heroes have helped with a wide variety of sports. Football and swimming have each had four winners. Basketball has had three winners, and boxing has had two. Many winners have also helped with "various" sports, meaning they support many different activities.