This year’s New Year Honours list once again recognised the contributions of people to sport, with awards from the sporting world making up 5 per cent of the total.
Among those honoured were England Women’s rugby vice-captain, Sarah Hunter, and prop, Rochelle Clark, who were both awarded MBE after they helped England secure their first World Cup title in 20 years after. Sport England invested in the squad to support them with their preparations for the 2014 World Cup
Representatives from some of Sport England’s national partners were also recognised with Sporting Equals Chair, Brendon Batson, awarded an OBE for services to football, and April Barrett, former English Federation of Disability Sport board member and trustee of Dwarf Sport UK, receiving an MBE for her service to disability sport.
Also honoured were former World Champion and Olympic silver medallist, Steve Cram, who was appointed a CBE for his recent work as chairman of the English Institute of Sport. Kate Richardson-Walsh, the captain of the England and Great Britain women’s hockey teams, was appointed an MBE for services to hockey while former England Cricket Board Chief Executive, David Collier, received an OBE.
As well as awards at the elite end of sport, there were a number of grassroots sport recipients. Shirley Callaghan received a BEM after dedicating over 31 years of voluntary service to support gymnastics at Ladywell Gymnastics Club in London. Other recipients included:
- James Betmead for services to sport and the community in Fleetwood, Lancashire through Fleetwood Town Football Club
- Rebecca Donnelly Chief Executive Officer of Fight 4 Change Foundation, for services to community sport
- Jean Frances, for services to children and sport through the Sir Stanley Matthews Foundation in Staffordshire
- Derek John Hayward for services to sport and young people in Shropshire
- John Maurice Arthur Jenkins, SportsAble President and Chair, for services to disability sport
- Peter Alan Smith, Project Coordinator, Tour de France, Leeds City Council, for services to sports development in Leeds and the Tour de France Grand Départ
- Joseph Kay Brown for services to community sport in Trafford, Greater Manchester
- John Francis Wall for services to the community, particularly young people, through sport in Tyneside.
Congratulations to everyone on the New Year Honours list, which recognises the fantastic achievements of a wide range of extraordinary people across the UK.