As we continue announcing some well-deserved award winners, Basketball England is pleased to reveal the winners of the 2020 North West Region Volunteer Awards.
The annual volunteer awards programme sees nominations gathered from the public across the 10 English regions, with winners selected in partnership with the Regional Management Committee Chairs.
Amongst the winners are Stephen O’Donnell (Children’s Coach of the Year) who has been recognised for his unwavering commitment to the basketball teams he coaches in Stockport. He promotes women in sport and encourages every player equally, regardless of skill or ability. This approach has unsurprisingly lead to strong retention numbers from all the players involved.
Also recognised is Jade Bow Butters (Teacher of the Year) for her commitment to providing basketball opportunities for pupils at Abraham Moss school, often taking time out of non-working hours to accompany pupils to practice at facilities across Manchester. When Jade isn’t mentoring young players, she shows a strong interest in officiating, regularly refereeing games across all age groups on week nights and has even attended international officiating conferences in the past with the aim of developing her array of skills further.
The full list of winners is as follows:
“We received so many great nominations for a range of individuals,” said David Butler, Delivery Director for Basketball England.
“It’s important to be able to recognise the achievements of those who give so much to the game. Well done to everyone!”
All the regional winners across the 13 award categories will be reviewed by a panel, with a total of three nominees per category then being shortlisted to be considered for National Awards. Due to the current situation across the country, Basketball England will not be hosting a traditional awards dinner in 2020, but national winners will still be selected. News on how these winners will be announced will be made in the coming weeks.
Regional award winners will be announced daily over the coming two weeks, with the Yorkshire region next up tomorrow.
