Introducing the Grant Thornton Team of the Year nominees for the 2023 Betway CI Sports Awards
ITV Channel reporter Keilan Webster runs through the five groups vying for this year's Grant Thornton Team of the Year Award
Following another successful year for sports sides across the Channel Islands, the judges have shortlisted five groups for the 2023 Grant Thornton Team of the Year Award.
They are the Jersey Beach Sprint Rowing Team, Jersey Commonwealth Youth Games Team, Jersey Men's Football Team, Guernsey Island Games Swimming Team, and Jersey Table Tennis Club.
Jersey Beach Sprint Rowing Team
Jersey's Rowing Club has seen plenty of success on the water. At this year's British Beach Sprint Championships, the team picked up two golds - proving they remain among the best in Britain.
Jersey Commonwealth Youth Games Team
Jersey's young athletes shone at the Commonwealth Youth Games. Five medals shared between swimming and triathlon gave the team its best-ever performance in the competition.
Jersey Men's Football Team
After a long wait, Jersey's footballers won gold at the NatWest International Island Games. Impressive performances across the week saw them take the title after hard-fought contests against the Isle of Wight and Ynys Mon. They also racked up another Muratti victory on Guernsey soil.
Guernsey Island Games Swimming Team
Guernsey's swimmers enjoyed a memorable home Island Games as they picked up 32 medals. The group also finished the week of competition with three Games records for the women's relay team.
Jersey Table Tennis Club
It was also a very successful Island Games week for Jersey's Table Tennis Club. They won seven medals, including three golds. The most memorable moment perhaps came in the team event where they dominated Guernsey, winning 4-0 in the final.
The winner will be announced at the awards night on Thursday 8 February, with live programmes at 8:30pm and 10:45pm on ITV1 across the Channel Islands.
Award categories
🏆 Betway Channel Islands Sports Personality of the Year
🏆 Betway Channel Islands Sports Personality of the Year
Nominees for the main award of the night are likely to have performed well outside of the islands, though high performers at a local level will be considered.
The person needs to either have been born in one of the islands, lived in the islands for the year in question, or have very close relationships with one of the islands.
The winner will be decided by a public phone vote and announced live at the event.
🌟 Sure Rising Star
🌟 Sure Rising Star
This award - which is decided by a panel of judges - is designed to recognise a young athlete who has the ability and attitude to make it to the top in their chosen sport.
The person needs to either have been born in the islands or lived in one of the islands for the last year and be under the age of 20 on 31 December 2023.
High performance at a national or international level will have a bearing on the decision.
👩👩👧👧 Grant Thornton Team of the Year
👩👩👧👧 Grant Thornton Team of the Year
Any team of two or more people competing in the same event will be considered by the judging panel for this prize.
Performance at a national or international level is likely to have more bearing than at a local level. However, local performances will not be discounted.
🙋 Coach of the Year
🙋 Coach of the Year
Four coaches based within the Channel Islands will be selected by the team of judges.
The performance of a coach's team or athletes will be a significant consideration.
Their achievement with the resources available to them will also be taken into account.
🏅 Michael Lucas Sporting Hero
🏅 Michael Lucas Sporting Hero
This award is for someone who, in the eyes of the judges, has put more into their sport than could be expected.
The winner is likely to be an ‘unsung hero’.
Nominations are sought from across Channel Islands sports, however, the winner will usually come from the island in which the awards are being held.