The finalists for the Sussex Sports Awards 2019 has been announced which sees Sussex Football represented in three different categories after this year received the highest number of nominations ever, from across the county. 

David Jackson, Martin Savage and Worthing Town are all represented in the nominations having already been recognised in our awards ceremony in September. 

The football related awards are as follows:

Club of the Year (Decided by a public vote)
Whitehawk Football Club - Brighton
Westerleigh Judokwai - Hastings
Worthing Town Football Club - Worthing

Wave Leisure Outstanding Contribution to Sport Award
David Jackson (Football) - Brighton
Sandy Fell (Education) - Littlehampton 
Martin Savage (Football) -  Burgess Hill

Sussex County FA Volunteer of the Year
Stuart Collier (Withdean Youth Football Club) - Brighton
Andy Lindley (SANDS United Football Club) - Shoreham / Brighton
Ricky Perrin (Sussex Bears Wheelchair Basketball Club) - Sussex

Award finalists will be excited to learn that winning a Sussex Sports Award has proven to be a springboard to help incredible individuals and community based projects go on to make an even bigger impact in their local communities and fulfil their sporting ambitions. A perfect example of this, is the multi-award winning initiative - Crawley Old Girls (COGs), winner of The Grand Hotel Community Impact Award 2018. 

Since the award win, COGs have gone from strength to strength, currently boasting over 100 players; ten times the number of participants since they started in 2015 and now running three sessions a week to cater for the varying levels and abilities. 

However Sussex domination was not enough for Carol Bates, COGs Founder and Chair and Jo Treharne from the Canterbury Old Bags who then organised the first ever Old Girls “World Cup” - held on the rest day of the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019.

This was part of a festival of football for women of all ages at the Soissons FC ground in northern France. Over two hundred women from all over the UK and beyond travelled to the event, some of whom had never played football before, and the story featured on the BBC One programme - Inside Out South East.

“It was really unbelievable and humbling to win a Sussex Sports Award - because it’s so prestigious. It was an amazing night that we’ll never forget,” explained Carol.

“We were showcased, and word spreads! We were able to reach out to even more women and give them the opportunity to play football. Our story keeps encouraging more people to get involved and we have lots of exciting plans in the pipeline to keep getting the message out there.”

For more information please contact Active Sussex:

Active Sussex
T: 01273 644103
E: info@activesussex.org