There are eight categories and a £1000 prize for the winner of each, with trophies due to be presented by HRH The Earl of Wessex at a ceremony in early 2023. You can submit an entry for the awards here.
We caught up with two winners from 2022 – Sajid Hussain of the Muslim Sports Foundation, who won Volunteer of the Year, and Richard Lindsay from Birmingham County FA, the organisation that won the Going Green Award – to find out about their experience from last year, and what they have been up to since.
What have you been doing since winning the award last year?
Sajid Hussain, Muslim Sports Foundation:
Since winning the award last year I have been extremely busy with my day job and my volunteer work. Through Sport England’s Tackling Inequalities and Together Funds, Muslim Sports Foundation (MSF) has supported over 70 projects in 30 towns and cities in England, delivered by 150-plus volunteer coaches, reaching 15,000 participants – 48% of which are female. Projects are delivered through a combination of MSF’s in-house delivery arm ANSAR and private delivery partners across a range of priority groups in the most deprived geographical locations (Birmingham, Leeds, Preston, Bradford). Activities include: judo, badminton, football, netball, archery, table tennis, online wellbeing sessions, and many more.
Over the last year, MSF has been collaborating and consulting with various NGBs and Active Partnerships on making sport more inclusive and accessible for all from our ethnically diverse communities, and developing exposure and participation at the grassroots level. NGBs want to learn how MSF works with ethnically diverse Muslim women in order for them to begin a new phase of inclusive interventions by having first-hand experience.
We have achieved Sport England Tier 2 status and have recently launched a fantastic initiative – the Active Sunnah campaign. This is our biggest campaign to date and will be delivered via our strategic partnerships with Mosques, Madrassah, and Islamic institutes, emphasising the benefits of sports and physical activity as a means of connecting spiritual, physical, and mental wellbeing.
Richard Lindsay, Birmingham County FA:
Our Save Today, Play Tomorrow programme has accelerated over the last 12 months with even more initiatives and engagement from grassroots football clubs. We were even interviewed for a Sky documentary that aired on Sunday 9th Oct called Football’s Toughest Opponent. The prize money was reinvested back into the programme and has been used to create the first ever Carbon Literacy in Football education course, that will launch in November.
What it was like to win the award last year?
Sajid Hussain, Muslim Sports Foundation:
As a volunteer in a relatively new and small charity, I was extremely honoured and humbled to win the award of Volunteer of the Year last year. The category was very strong and all nominees were worthy winners for their dedication, tireless work and passion about giving back to the communities they work with, especially coming out of difficult and challenging times with the pandemic and the impact it had on us all in the sporting sector. At MSF we are a team and winning was a great boost to all the volunteers in our organisation, from the Board of Trustees to the coaches and delivery staff.
Richard Lindsay, Birmingham County FA:
It was a really proud moment to be recognised and shortlisted but to win the award for a programme that was not even 12 months old at the time was hugely significant and rewarding for the team.
Why should people/organisations enter this year’s awards?
Sajid Hussain, Muslim Sports Foundation:
The awards are a chance to showcase the great work you and your organisation are doing. It is recognition of your achievements, raises the profile of your organisation and provides a great opportunity to meet like-minded individuals from all walks of the sporting landscape. The awards provided MSF with the opportunity to build some great relationships and go on to collaborate on projects with partners we would not otherwise have done so.
Richard Lindsay, Birmingham County FA:
To share the platform with so many diverse organisations & individuals really hit home the role sport has to play in creating a better society. There is so much good work happening to engage, retain and help sport thrive in this country, we just need to tell the story.
How have you benefited from being involved in the Community Sport and Recreation Awards?
Sajid Hussain, Muslim Sports Foundation:
The award raised awareness of our organisation and the work we do. It has given us credibility within the sporting sector and the community we work with. It provided the opportunity to showcase MSF in front of influential and key players within the sector and we have met some great people as a result. The awards opened up possibilities to embark on mutually beneficial projects with other like-minded organisations.
Richard Lindsay, Birmingham County FA:
The award from the Sport & Recreation Alliance has given the programme further credibility when we are engaging clubs, stakeholders or possible commercial partners. It has helped improve the way we communicate success for the programme in a more authentic & meaningful way.
