With award winners ranging from community volunteers to high-performance coaches, the sportscotland Coaching, Officiating and Volunteering Awards are a celebration of outstanding individuals from across Scotland and the sporting system.
Find out more about our winners below!
Across 12 categories, sportscotland received 320 nominations covering 30 different sports across 31 local authorities. People keen to recognise the invaluable contributions of selfless coaches, officials and volunteers working across a range of sports the length and breadth of the country submitted their nominations earlier in the year. We also celebrated the 2022 coaching chain award, taking our total awards to 13.
Find out more about the winners from our 13 categories below.
Young Volunteer of the Year - Laura Pilkington (Swimming)
As a volunteer within Scottish Disability Sport, sportscotland, and Scottish Student Sport, Laura is an outstanding representative and voice for the development of disability sport in Scotland.
Discover more about Laura
Young Official of the Year - Sophie Allan (Athletics)
As the highest qualified female starter in Scotland, Sophie is a huge inspiration for other young people to become officials.
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Young Coach of the Year - Aimee Pollock (Multisport)
She coaches a range of young people from a diverse range of backgrounds, and has made a big impact on young people in her school and the community.
Discover more about Aimee
Active Schools Volunteer Deliverer of the Year - John Daily (Multisport)
John has had a massive impact on the community, and a significant contribution to sport and physical activity.
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High Performance Coach of the Year - David Murdoch (Curling)
As Olympic Head Coach for British Curling, David has made a significant contribution towards the success of the 2021/22 season for Scottish and British Curling.
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Coach Developer of the Year - Laurie McDonald (Multisport)
Laurie has made a huge impact on the development of sailing coaches in Scotland, and is a driving force for positive change within the coaching development community.
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Community Club Coach of the Year - Rajani Tyagi (Badminton)
Devoting much of her spare time to running female only badminton clubs, Rajani has encouraged over 50 women from diverse backgrounds and faiths to try badminton.
Discover more about Rajani
Disability Sport Coach of the Year - Marie Cheyne (Swimming)
She provides numerous swimming opportunities to support the potential of disability swimmers and supports other teachers and coaches in the network.
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Performance Pathway Coach of the Year - Janet Jack (Hockey)
She is a positive role model to all players, fellow coaches and volunteers within her region and further afield, and an inspiration to future coaches.
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Official of the Year - Katie Howell (Netball)
Katie has given massively to the sport of netball over the last year and beyond and is one of Scotland’s top netball officials.
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Volunteer of the Year - David Pollacchi (Football)
David is a role model, and is highly dedicated to supporting his club and underrepresented groups, focusing on making sport as inclusive, safe, and accessible as possible.
Find out more about David
Lifetime Achievement Award - Jim Hunter (Athletics)
Jim has guided and supported generations of young people over many decades, motivating and inspiring the people around him to get involved in sport at all levels.
Discover more about Jim
Coaching Chain Award - Eve Muirhead
Among the winners honoured in 13 categories at last night’s ceremony in Glasgow were six of Eve Muirhead’s coaches, who have supported the world-class curler throughout her exceptional career.
From shaping her earliest experiences of sport, to training Eve ahead of her team’s gold-medal winning performance at the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, these coaches have been integral to Eve’s success and were presented the sportscotland Coaching Chain Award 2022 by Eve herself.
A panel of expert judges selected Siobhan Penman, Dave Leith, Rhona Howie, Cate Brewster, David Hay, Derek Brown and David Murdoch for their significant contribution to Scottish sport and the decorated athlete, demonstrating the long line of individuals who have a part to play in achieving sporting success on the world stage.
Siobhan Penman was Eve’s P.E. teacher at Pitlochry High School, supporting Eve through crucial decisions in the early stages of her curling career. Dave Leith was her first strength and conditioning coach, supplying Eve with unwavering support. Cate Brewster was also part of the award-winning coaching chain, having first selected Eve onto the sportscotland institute of sport’s Futures programme and coaching and developing her as a junior.
Rhona Howie and David Hay coached Eve in her successful bid to win World Championship gold and Olympic bronze, sharing their wealth of experience at every turn, while Derek Brown – the team’s Head Coach at Eve’s first Olympic Games in Vancouver in 2010 – was on hand to help the athlete become a well-rounded player, team mate and person.