The award ceremony – presented by TV host Ben Shepherd – took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London and was attended by over 300 guests, including many from the sporting world. The awards celebrated sports’ elite performers, the unsung local heroes and those who readily volunteer their own precious time to help others through sport.
The Boxing Academy, an educational charity based in Hackney, which works with young people who have faced exclusion from mainstream schools, was the recipient of the Community Sports Project of the Year, sponsored by Sport England.
Founded in 2006, the Academy offers an alternative educational pathway for students aged between 13 and 16. It follows a full-time school schedule and provides intense mentoring and support for young people, placing them in a class of six students with a dedicated boxer who acts as a mentor, teacher support and coach during their time there. Through the power of boxing, the students are taught to manage their anger, give confidence in learning and direct them towards further education, training or employment.
Jordan Clarke, Deputy Chief Executive and Assistant Head of the Boxing Academy said: “It's obviously a great honour to have been nominated for the award in the first place, let alone win! We're immensely proud to scoop the Community Sports Project of The Year Award.
“Our team put in the hard graft to make a genuine difference for our young people whether it be getting them out of bed in the morning or offering them support long after school has closed for the day; this award is for everyone at The Boxing Academy who goes the extra mile to make a difference in the lives of young people.”
Sport England’s Chief Executive, Jennie Price, said: “The Pride of Sport Awards have celebrated all the exceptional people – inspiring coaches, volunteers who turn out every week for their clubs or teams in the wind and rain, and those who spend their evenings doing paperwork – who are often unsung, uncelebrated, and unrecognised. These awards are so important as it was a chance to recognise all these efforts and celebrate all the achievements. It was our opportunity to say thank you to all the nominees, those shortlisted and the winners – sport could not exist without them."
Other winners on the night included long-distance runner, Jo Pavey, who picked up the Inspirational Performance of the Year award for winning gold in the 10,000m at the European Championships in Zurich and bronze at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, and England Women’s Rugby Coach, Gary Street was named Coach/Manager of the Year for leading his team to victory in the Women’s Rugby World Cup. The squad currently receives £750,000 of funding (April 2013 to March 2015) from Sport England to support their development, including their preparations for the World Cup.
Full list of award winners:
- Young Sports Person of the Year: Giarnni Regini-Moran
- Local Hero of the Year: Mohammed Zafran
- Volunteer of the Year: Alexandra Goldstone
- Charity Challenge of the Year: Natasha Lambert
- Disability Sport Award: Will Bayley
- Community Sports Project of the Year: The Boxing Academy
- Local Team of the Year: Senrab Football Club
- Coach/Manager of the Year: Gary Street
- Sporting Event of the Year: Tour de France, Yorkshire
- Inspirational Performance of the Year: Jo Pavey