The Sport Industry Awards took place in London this week, with an in-person event that we can only yet imagine for at least another month or so.

The Awards are a fairly blockbuster affair and recognise work that has been done across a number of areas of the sports infrastructure.

There has been a success for Irish campaigns in the past but not to the same extent as in the European Sponsorship awards.

Nevertheless, it is worthwhile looking at some of the best in class material that came to the fore.

Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford was given the prestigious Integrity and Impact Award in association with Dow Jones Risk and Compliance.

The recognition was for the “remarkable work he has done – both on and off the pitch – in fighting for those less fortunate, less represented, and less heard in our society.”

He has been an advocate for the Black Lives Matter campaign but also, and most effectively, on the subject of child food poverty, forcing a Government u-turn on free schools food.

He is the fourth recipient of the Award, following on from US gymnast Rachel Denhollander for speaking out against her abuser Larry Nasser; Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling for his work fighting racism in football, and the USWNT’s Megan Rapinoe for her continued action for the LGBTQ+ community.

The Coutts Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Barry Hearn OBE by his son Eddie, celebrating a 40-year career as Chairman of Matchroom Sport.

Other winners on the night included Sky Sports, who claimed Media Organisation of the Year, for their work in both broadcasting and driving social change through sport.

The Sport Organisation of the Year award in association with AXA XL went to Sport England for the vital work the organisation did in supporting the entire sports sector throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, while Ear to the Ground was named Agency of the Year for the first time.

The Active & Wellbeing Award went to the FA for the Heads Up Campaign, which encourages men to talk about their mental health, while Campaign of the Year in association with YouGov Sport went to the 2.6 Challenge – a campaign set up to save the UK’s charities during the pandemic.

The Creative Content Award in association with Shutterstock went to the ECB for the beautiful The Wait video, while the Tessa Jowell Community Award was handed to Harder Than You Think for their pioneering Netflix documentary Rising Phoenix.

 

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