Awards Shared at NSW Champions of Sport Ceremony

The inaugural NSW Champions of Sport Ceremony held at Rosehill Gardens on Monday 27 November showcased the diversity of sport on offer in the state of NSW – with 31 different state sporting organisations represented amongst the list of finalists for the 2017 NSW Sports Awards and no sport collecting more than one award.

Winners on the night included youth and masters, disability and able bodied, from sports including paddle, paracyling, tennis, powerlifting, netball, AFL, wheelchair track and road, swimming, football, goalball, badminton, surfing, judo and hockey.

Sydney FC were crowned NSW Team of the Year following an outstanding 2016-17 season where they were A-League premiers with a record for the most competition points in a season (66) and most wins (20).

Graham Arnold, Sydney FC Coach with MC Tracey Holmes.

The Under 19 Australia Women’s Goalball team received the honour of NSW Team of the Year with a Disability after making history in Budapest this year as the first Australian team in any category to win a gold medal in an International Blind Sports Federation world goalball event.

Under 19 Australian Women’s Goalball team with Murray Elbourn, Coach (centre), Tracie Edmondson, Sport NSW Director (far left) and Richard Hawkins, Manager Disability Inclusion, Programs and Service Delivery, Family and Community Services (far right).

Fittingly AFL NSW/ACT and Netball NSW were joint-winners of the Organisation of the Year award given it was a partnership between AFL and Netball which led to the birth of the GIANTS Netball in the newly established Suncorp Super Netball League.

L-R: Gregory Will, Sport NSW Director, Sam Graham, CEO, AFL NSW/ACT, Ruth Havrlant, Netball NSW Director, Carolyn Campbell, CEO, Netball NSW, Debbie Le roux, Dean & Operations Director, ACPE.

Lake Macquarie City Council won the inaugural NSW Local Council of the Year, developing a suite of high level strategies and supporting plans to manage sport and recreation facilities resulting in over $15 million in increase investment and community partnerships.

Steven Cowan, Community Land Planner (Sports), Peta McGrath, Aging and Disability Officer (right), with Karen Jones, Executive Director, Sports Infrastructure Group, Office of Sport.

NSW Event of the Year was won by the Australian Badminton Open Super Series which attracted 268 players to Sydney Olympic Park and achieved a total of 937 broadcasting hours into nine countries.

L-R: Loke Poh Wong, Event Organiser, Carolyn Toh, President, Badminton NSW and Gary Bender, Managing Director, World Corporate Travel.

Surfing coach Glen Hall achieved the distinction of coaching two world champions concurrently when Tyler Wright claimed the title of women’s World Champion and Macy Callaghan won the World Junior title. Crowned NSW Coach of the Year, Glen was unfortunately unable to attend as he was in Hawaii overseeing Tyler’s tilt at another world championship.

Currently ranked in the top 24 of all international judo referees, Lubomir Petr won NSW Official of the Year for his contribution to all levels of the sport, including officiating at the World Judo titles held in Hungary this year.

Lubomir Petr (left), with Dr Phil Hamdorf, Executive Director, Sports Development Group, Office of Sport

Finally innovative Hockey NSW CEO David Thompson took home NSW Administrator of the Year after he oversaw the introduction of the revolutionary ‘Joey Ball’ – a softer, safer alternative to the traditional hockey ball.

 David Thompson