Sport is a core activity within the Army and the annual Army Sports Awards, held in the historic Guildhall in the City of London, was a fabulous occasion to highlight the achievements of its top sportsmen and women.
Sport is a core activity within the Army and the annual Army Sports Awards, held in the historic Guildhall in the City of London, was a fabulous occasion to highlight the achievements of its top sportsmen and women.Hosted by the Chief of the General Staff General Sir Nicholas Carter, the glittering awards ceremony celebrated the success of the Army’s remarkable athletes across a wide range of sporting disciplines, including adaptive sport. Sporting celebrities including Lizzy Yarnold, Matt Dawson, and Garth Crooks turned out to present the awards, which recognise the achievements of those soldiers and officers who have risen to the top in their sporting field; many also hold their own on the world sporting stage.
Representatives of every sport played in the Army were present, as well as members of sports governing bodies, sponsors and supporters. The evening kicked off in style with a moving performance from renowned sporting soprano Laura Wright who sang ‘Invincible’ and ‘The World in Union’. One of our Team Army Trustees, Brigadier Richard Dennis OBE, was a fantastic Master of Ceremonies and had the audience laughing and relaxed from the offset and the awards were very ably, and engagingly, compèred by Sky Sports presenter Hayley McQueen.
The Woodwind Quintet of The Band of The Scots Guards and the Trumpeters of The Band of The Household Cavalry provided the musical backdrop to a glittering evening of pomp and circumstance enjoyed by all who attended.
AWARD WINNERS:
Juniper (represented by Tony Webb) sponsored the Rising Star of the Year Award which was presented to Army boxer Guardsman Natty Ngwenya of the Grenadier Guards by Commonwealth Games javelin medal winner and former RAPTC soldier Kelly Morgan.
Boeing (represented by Nick Whitney) sponsored the Official of the Year Award which was presented to Army, England and GB boxing referee Captain Chris Roberts of the Royal Army Physical Training Instructor Corps by former footballer Garth Crooks OBE.
Babcock (represented by Nic Anderson) sponsored the Team of the Year Award which was presented to the Army Women’s Road Cycling Team by former sprinter and Olympic gold medallist Jason Gardener MBE.
Raytheon (represented by Mark Hopkins) sponsored the Adaptive Athlete of the Year Award which was presented to para-canoeist Former Craftsman Nikki Patterson by England Rugby’s official anthem singer, the soprano Laura Wright.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (represented by Brenda Chambers) sponsored the Sportswoman of the Year Award which was presented to Army and Wales rugby union player Captain Gemma Rowland of the Royal Artillery by former England Rugby Union player Maggie Alphonsi.
Lockheed Martin (represented by Alan Lines) sponsored the Sportsman of the Year Award which was presented to Army cyclist Captain Ryan Perry of the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers by Olympic gold medallist Lizzy Yarnold MBE.
The evening was rounded off by Rugby World Cup Winner Matt Dawson MBE presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award to Major (Retired) Jim Coffey for his 50 years of service to Army boxing. The Lifetime Achievement Award was sponsored by Selex ES (represented by Mike Gilbert).
EVENT SPONSORS:
Our heartfelt thanks to our wonderful sponsors of the 2015 Army Sports Awards:
GOLD SPONSORS: Babcock (Headline sponsor); The Royal British Legion (event partner); Lockheed Martin (event partner/award sponsor); Juniper (after-party sponsor/award sponsor); Raytheon (award sponsor); Boeing (award sponsor); Qioptiq (award sponsor); Selex ES (award sponsor); Hewlett Packard Enterprise (award sponsor); Vodafone; Charles Russell Speechlys; Fujitsu; Elbit; Veolia
SILVER SPONSORS: SSVC; SAAB Training; ATOS; Sodexo; EMC
BRONZE SPONSORS: Sopra Steria; Harmonic; General Dynamics; Allocate.
QUOTES:
‘As we recognise these remarkable athletes tonight, let us also celebrate Army sport. Great sport empowers people. Great sport gives individuals an opportunity to achieve things they never thought possible, and great sport fosters great leaders.’
General Sir Nicholas Carter KCB CBE DSO ADC Gen Chief of the General Staff
‘We all had a stunning time at the awards. Totally exceeded our expectation of what the night would bring. Met some amazing soldiers, which made us extremely proud to be part of such a valued institution.’
Team Army Sponsor
‘Great event and an excellent opportunity to network.’
Team Army Sponsor
‘It’s absolutely incredible what Team Army, ARU and the Army in general does for individuals in the Army. By playing sport you have to follow the core values and standards, you have to be up on your leadership and teamwork abilities. You get that from sport day-in, day-out and Team Army are great ambassadors for promoting that. The support they give to sports teams to allow soldiers the opportunities to hone their skills and to develop both personally and professionally are absolutely second to none – a huge thank you to Team Army.’
Capt Gemma Rowland, Army Sportswoman of the Year 2015
‘These events take a huge amount of planning and organisation. I would like to thank all our sponsors, and particularly Babcock as the headline sponsor, as well as Team Army and the Army Sport Control Board who have been instrumental in pulling this event together. I would also like to extend a warm welcome to all of our friends from across industry and the sporting community. Thank you for supporting Army Sport, your help is hugely appreciated.’
General Sir Nicholas Carter KCB CBE DSO ADC Gen Chief of the General Staff