Navy

Football, boxing and athletics win big at the 2024 Royal Navy Sports Awards

Watch: The Royal Navy held their annual sports awards ceremony in the Long Room at Lord's Cricket Ground

Football, boxing and athletics have won big this year at the 2024 Royal Navy Sports Awards, which were held in the Long Room at Lord's Cricket Ground.

The Royal Navy senior men's football team were named Team of the Year ahead of the ceremony after a stellar 2023-24 season, where they became the Inter Services champions and also won the Portsmouth Senior Cup final.

Their team captain, Chief Petty Officer Danny Kerr, was also named Sportsman of the Year after captaining the Royal Navy side through their successes this season, as well as leading the UK Armed Forces team to Kentish Cup victory last year.

CPO Kerr beat fellow nominees Colour Sergeant RM James Wade from rowing and Commander Jamie Weller from gymnastics.

The Sportswoman of the Year was awarded to Lieutenant Chelsea Baker, who has emerged as one of the UK's top endurance runners this year on track, road and cross-country.

The athletics star was awarded ahead of fellow nominees Leading Engineering Technician Rachel White from skeleton and Leading Physical Trainer Emily Astbury from Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Rising star boxer Marine Kyle Shaw-Tullin was named Young Sportsperson of the Year after only joining the Royal Navy boxing team earlier this year.

He immediately impressed by winning the 80kg category at this year's English National Boxing Championships, before becoming one of 12 boxers to be named in the England Boxing squad ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Elsewhere, athletics' Lieutenant Commander Paul D’Arcy was awarded Official of the Year and Petty Officer Nick McGarry, also from boxing, was awarded Coach of the Year.

You can rewatch the whole ceremony in full on the BFBS Forces News YouTube channel or catch-up on demand on BFBS TV (for serving personnel only).