LEADING sportswomen from the city were among local sporting heroes honoured at the Belfast City Council Sports Awards 2024.
Guests at the awards ceremony in City Hall included athletes, volunteers and coaches of all ages and abilities from across Belfast.
As well as a host of awards, three sporting legends were inducted into Belfast City Council’s Sporting Hall of Fame – former football managers David Jeffrey MBE and Roy Coyle and cricket’s Donna Armstrong.
The award winners, pictured above, were:
Pathways to Club (sponsored by Active Belfast) – Sean Madden (St Malachy’s Old Boys Youth FC)
Pathways to Club (sponsored by Active Belfast) – Jahswill Emmanuel (Multi-Ethic Sports & Cultures NI)
Young Coach of the Year (sponsored by Better) – Torrie Laverty (Bloomfield Ladies FC)
Senior Coach of the Year (sponsored by Better) – Brendan Crossan (St Malachy’s Old Boys Youth FC)
Senior Coach of the Year (sponsored by Better) – Joe McDaniel (Naomh Gall GAC)
Female Coach of the Year (sponsored by Better) – Orla Le Mahieu (Ardoyne Kickhams)
Disability Coach of the Year (sponsored by Better) – Michael Hilland (Trail Blazers Powerchair FC)
Healthy Lifestyle (sponsored by Active Belfast) – Shaftsbury Healthy Living Centre
Volunteer of the Year (sponsored by Belfast City Council) – Conor McCann (St Teresa’s GAC)
Volunteer of the Year (sponsored by Belfast City Council) – Mary Matthews (Queen’s Basketball Club)
Youth Athlete of the Year (sponsored by Sports Medicine NI) – Aine Doherty (VC Glendale)
Senior Male Athlete of the Year (sponsored by Commonwealth Games) – Stuart McCloskey (Ulster & Ireland Rugby)
Senior Female Athlete of the Year (sponsored by Commonwealth Games) – Victoria Catterson (Swimming – Ireland)
Disability Athlete of the Year (sponsored by Commonwealth Games ) – James MacSorley
Junior Team of the Year (sponsored by Decathlon) – Lagan Valley Junior Men’s Cross Country Team (Wheelchair Basketball – Sheffield Steelers)
Senior Team of the Year (sponsored by Decathlon) – Belfast Giants
Hall of Fame (sponsored by Belfast City Council – Diane Armstrong (Cricket), Roy Coyle (Football) and David Jeffrey (Football)
- Victoria Catterson who won Senior Female Athlete of the Year award at the Belfast Sports Awards ceremony in City Hall. She is joined by Lord Mayor Councillor Ryan Murphy and Stephen Martin, Chair, Commonwealth Games NI.
Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Ryan Murphy, said the Belfast Sports Awards celebrated all the winners’ sporting achievements and accolades this year and recognised all the sport and physical activity that goes on, in the city.
“In their 15th year, the Belfast Sport Awards recognise our coaches, athletes, volunteers and all those that quietly go about their roles to make sport and physical activity happen,” he noted.
“2023 was a thrilling year for sport with successes in the water, gymnasium and on the ice with our own Belfast Giants creating history and winning the Treble for the first time.
“We now turn our sights to an exciting summer with the Paris 2024 Olympics and I’m delighted to see so many past Olympians here at the ceremony still supporting sport and being role models for our young people coming through.
“Belfast City Council is committed to continued investment in the health of our citizens and sport and physical activity is a priority for us as we continue to deliver the city’s community plan, Belfast Agenda.
“We are putting the finishing touches on our Physical Activity and Sport Development Strategy which sets out our vision for the future of sport and activity in the city and have also invested £105 million in our Leisure Transformation Programme designed to transform leisure services across Belfast. We continue our £300K Support for Sport annual funding – helping clubs, coaches and communities with education, good governance and grass roots development.
“A huge congratulations to all our worthy winners and local sporting heroes as they shine a spotlight on sport from the very top of sporting competition to grassroots level.”
Inducted into the Council’s Sporting Hall of Fame, Donna Armstrong is a leading light in the world of cricket representing and developing female cricket in Ireland as the NCU’s first women’s Irish International. Playing as a right-handed middle-order batsman, Donna made her international debut at the 1983 Centenary Tournament in the Netherlands. She finished her international career in 1991, having played 20 ODIs.
Orla Le Mahieu, from Ardoyne Kickhams who won the award for Female Coach of the Year (sponsored by Better Gyms) at the Belfast Sports Awards 2024
Torrie Laverty, from Bloomfield Ladies FC, who won award for Young Coach of the Year (sponsored by Better Gyms)
Swimmer Victoria Catterson, who won Senior Female Athlete of the Year at the Belfast Sports Awards, with Stephen Martin, Chair, Commonwealth Games NI (awards sponsor)
