The best of Granite City sport will come together tonight for Aberdeen’s Sports Awards 2023.
Winners across a diverse range of categories will be revealed in the glitzy ceremony at P&J Live, organised by the Evening Express in conjunction with the Active Aberdeen Partnership.
The finalists for the majority of the gongs on offer were revealed back in January following the judging process.
In the headline Sport Aberdeen-sponsored Sports Achiever of the Year category, para-cycling legend Neil Fachie – who has won a host of Aberdeen’s Sports Awards prizes down the years, including Sports Achiever of the Year last time – will go head-to-head with para-triathlete Colin Wallace and Commonwealth Games rhythmic gymnast Louise Christie.
The Club of the Year (sponsored by ClubSport and Grampian Disability Sport) short-list, meanwhile, includes Aberdeen Amateur Athletic Club, Aberdeen Dolphin Swimming Club and Sansum Black Belt Academy.
More than 15 awards will be handed out during the event, which will be hosted by Original 106 FM big breakfast show host Claire Stevenson.
The ceremony will also feature speaker Jamie Andrew – a Scottish mountaineer who lost all four limbs due to a 1999 climbing accident, and who has continued to scale the world’s highest peaks in the years since.
Here are the finalists and sponsors for all of the Aberdeen’s Sports Awards 2023 categories:
Adult Volunteer of the Year (sponsored by P&J Live):
- Agnes MacDonald (Albury Community Sports Hub/bowls)
- Dave Thompson (Streetsport – Denis Law Legacy Trust)
- Shaun Liddell (Aberdeen Wanderers Rugby Club)
Club of the Year (sponsored by ClubSport and Grampian Disability Sport):
- Aberdeen Amateur Athletic Club
- Aberdeen Dolphin Swimming Club
- Sansum Black Belt Academy
Community Sport Project of the Year (sponsored by Burness Paull):
- Aberdeen AAC community children’s athletics sessions
- Albury Community Sports Hub
- Cruyff Court Neale Cooper
Community/Participation Coach of the Year:
- Kirsty Smith (wheelchair basketball)
- Natalie Gallan (table tennis)
- Richard Freeland (hockey)
Performance Coach of the Year (sponsored by Original FM):
- Amy Stewart (rhythmic gymnastics)
- Eoghan MacNamara (sprinting)
- Ryan Oswald (sprinting)
Sports Achiever of the Year (sponsored by Sport Aberdeen):
- Colin Wallace (para-triathlon)
- Louise Christie (rhythmic gymnastics)
- Neil Fachie (para-cycling)
Student Sports Achiever of the Year:
- Charlie Guest (alpine skiing)
- Louise Christie (rhythmic gymnastics)
- Rebecca Matheson (sprinting)
Team Performance of the Year (sponsored by CALA):
- Aberdeen Sports Village Table Tennis Academy under-13s team
- Beacon Rhythmic Gymnastics Groups – Senior Butterflies and Junior Rubies
- Silver City Blues Masters Swim Team
Veteran/Masters Sport Achiever of the Year:
- Andrew Robertson (swimming)
- Catriona Pennet (hurdles)
- Helen Bruce (hockey)
Young Coach of the Year (sponsored by StudioBE):
- Adam Lambert (kickboxing)
- Abigael McBeath (judo)
- Morgan McWilliam (cheerleading)
Young Sports Achiever of the Year:
- Angela McAuslan-Kelly (hammer throwing)
- Kirsty Muir (freestyle skiing)
- Zain Almasri (Brazilian jiu-jitsu)
Young Volunteer of the Year (sponsored by Costco):
- Domitilla Di Stefano (volleyball)
- Molly Evans (Active Girls Committee/cycling)
- Rebekah Singer (Active Girls Committee)
School Innovation Award (sponsored by Active Schools):
- Loirston Primary
- Manor Park Primary
- Westpark Primary
Personal Trainer/Fitness Coach (sponsored by Atholl Scott Financial) – decided by public vote:
- Rory Annand
- Bill Loxton
- Lee Donald
- Ami Murdoch
The winners of the Inspiration and Lifetime Achievement prizes will also be announced on Thursday evening.
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