07 December 2004

BBC Announce Northwest's favourite sporting personalities

BBC North West Tonight presenters Gordon Burns and Dianne Oxberry joined an array of sports stars and guests at Manchester's Midland Hotel to announce the winners of the BBC North West Sports Awards.

The event, now in its fourth year, was devised to recognise sporting achievement and excellence, and with the support of the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) they have now become one of the highlights of the regions sporting calendar.

Steven Broomhead, NWDA Chief Executive, believes sport is an essential part of the region:
"Sport is very important to England's Northwest. Almost 50,000 are employed in sports-related activities in the Northwest, and sport contributes £1.14 billion annually to the regional economy.
The BBC North West Sports Awards is an excellent way to celebrate the best and brightest sport professionals from within the region, and the NWDA is proud to be a lead sponsor. I have been very impressed with the standard of all the finalists which is further evidence of the tremendous amount of sporting talent on offer here in the Northwest."

The BBC's Head of Regional and Local Programmes in the North West, Martin Brooks, agrees, and says the quality of sport in the region is something which we can all be proud of: "It's been another marvellous year for our sportsmen and women and once again they've made outstanding performances in both national and international competitions. In 2004 Our Olympians and Paralympians returned from Athens with a tremendous haul of medals. In the worlds of football, cricket, rugby union and rugby league, players from North West clubs took centre stage, proving yet again that our region is second to none in terms of sporting achievement. This is what the BBC North West Sports Awards are designed to recognise and celebrate".

The winners of the thirteen awards were chosen from public votes and a panel of North West sports journalists. 
                                                                  
Winners in the 13 categories were as follows:
1.      Footballer
        Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
        Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC)
        Stelios Giannakopoulos (Bolton Wanderers)
2.      Paralympic Achievement
        Sarah Bailey (swimmer)
        Sascha Kindred (swimmer)
        Mark Ecclestone (tennis player)
3.      The Judges Award 2004 sponsored by the NWDA
        Amir Khan (boxer)
4.      Rugby Player
        Andrew Farrell (Wigan Warriors Rugby League)
        Chris Jones (Sale Sharks Rugby Union)
        Paul Wellens (St Helens Rugby League)
5.      Manager/Coach
        Amanda Kirby (gymnastics)
        Michael Jelley (boxing)
        Sam Allardyce (Bolton Wanderers)
6.      Olympic Achievement
        Bradley Wiggins (Cyclist)
        Darren Campbell
        Amir Khan
7.      Team of the Year
        Leigh Centurions Rugby League Club
        Manchester United Football Club
        St Helens Rugby League
        Bolton Wanderers FC
8.      Hall of Fame
        Alex Murphy
9.      North West Tonight Award
        Amir Khan
10.     Radio Merseyside Award
        Stephen Parry (swimmer)
11.     GMR/Manchester Evening News
        Stelios Giannakopoulos (Bolton Wanderers)
12.     Radio Lancashire         
        Andrew Flintoff
13.     Community Club Award in Association with Sport England
        Ribble Valley Juniors Cycling and Racing Club
14.     Unsung Hero
        Jean Arnold
15.     Sports Personality
           Andrew Flintoff

Ends

Issued: 6 December 2004
Further information and pictures available from Andrew Glynn, BBC Press Office, 0161 244 489 / 07736 480378.