The pair were presented with their awards by HRH The Earl of Wessex in front of 150 guests against the stunning backdrop of St James’s Palace.
Kelly Simmons OBE, who has spent more than three decades at the FA developing the professional game, took home the Arthur Bell Trophy, a fitting honour following the Lionesses’ heroics this summer.
As the FA’s Director of the Women’s Professional Game, Kelly has been an instrumental figure in fuelling the growth of women’s football in England, from grassroots right through to the Women’s Super League.
She has helped develop one of the leading league competitions in world football and played a key role in a new broadcast deal with Sky Sports and the BBC, helping attract new audiences to the game and maximise media coverage, both of which have safeguarded the future of the sport for women across the country.
There has been a 92% increase in affiliated women’s and girls’ teams, to 11,509, since the FA launched its Gameplan for Growth in 2017, which Kelly was a key driver behind. There are also a further 19,000 female players playing in mixed gender football and 74% of County FAs now have a high-quality female youth competition pathway.
Speaking at the ceremony, Kelly said: “I’ve been very lucky to dedicate my life, as have many others, to making sure that this generation have got better opportunities, because I saw, even from a very young age, that girls were missing out on so much, particularly in football.
“They weren’t connected into their local community in the way that boys were and therefore were missing out on all the wonderful benefits that sport and recreation brings. It’s fair to say the Lionesses have turbo charged our work and what was really great was that the next day they crafted a letter to the government to say that they wanted their legacy to be all about equal opportunities for girls in PE and school sport.
“There have been great strides but of course there is still so much to do in the sector and I look forward to working with you all to continue to drive it forward.”
Sandi Procter was also announced as our 2022 winner of the Spirit of Sport and Recreation Award, formerly known as the Emeritus Award. For more than 10 years, this accolade has recognised volunteers in our sector who have dedicated their lives to helping to get the nation active.
Our 2022 winner was responsible for creating the Red, Orange and Green (ROG) ball programme which has allowed children to grow into tennis at the same pace as their development, meaning many kids have stayed in the game for longer since its inception.
The programme has been adopted by more than 150 countries worldwide and has since been developed to become part of the new LTA Youth scheme designed to help more children enjoy the benefits of playing and staying in tennis, whatever their age, gender, ability, disability, or background.
Sandi previously represented Kent on the LTA Council and still sits on the Kent LTA Board, having been involved in a wide range of tennis activities and projects in the county for over 25 years.
Sandi is also a member of the LTA’s Development Tennis Advisory Group and the Board Nominations Committee, and at an international level serves on the Tennis Europe Development Committee and the ITF Olympic Committee. She becomes just the second female to hold the position of LTA President after the late Cathie Sabin OBE.
Upon accepting the award, Sandi said: “I started volunteering when I was about 11 but back then they didn’t call us volunteers – my mum just said I was bossy!
“I began my journey in lacrosse before moving into tennis, which is where I’ve spent most of my time.
“We don’t ever do this for awards, it’s only ever for reward which is the positive impact we see each day from our work. It really is fulfilling to see the difference sport and recreation can make to people’s lives, particularly young people.”
“There are plenty of other people who have put in lots of hard work over the years, and this award could have been given to any of them. But, it’s a great honour to get this accolade, so I’d like to thank the Sport and Recreation Alliance for recognising me today.”
Everyone at the Alliance would like to extend their congratulations to Kelly and Sandi.
As 2024 concludes and as we look ahead to 2025, the Alliance has published a message to members and partners.
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