Knowsley Sporting Heroes!

Picture: Receiving their awards from Kirkby-born former world light-heavyweight boxing champion John Conteh are England under 18 footballers (left) Kelly McDougal from Prescot and (right) Huyton-born Steven Gerrard.

The 3rd annual Knowsley Sporting honours awards took place on 11th May. Liverpool and England footballer Steven Gerrard and international women’s footballer Kelly McDougal picked up the 2000 Knowsley Sporting Personality of the Year Awards at a ceremony held at the Huyton Suite.

They are amongst a host of individual sportsmen and women whose achievements have been recognised at the 3rd Annual Knowsley Sports Awards Evening.

Guest of Honour was Kirkby-born former World light-heavyweight boxing champion John Conteh.

Once again the achievements of sports clubs and individuals were recognised, with the presentation of trophies and bursaries which provide much needed support for the continuing development of sport in Knowsley.

The evening had an added boost when representatives from Sport England presented a lottery grant of £3.2 million which will be match-funded by Knowsley Council for the building of a £6.4 million ultra-modern leisure centre in Halewood.

Knowsley District Sports Council, who organise the evening in partnership with Knowsley Council’s Department of Leisure and Community Services, received £5,000 from the Millennium Lottery Fund to support this year’s Knowsley Festival of Sport.

Representatives from sports clubs across the Borough were in the audience of over 200 people for an evening of sporting celebrations hosted by BBC Radio Merseyside’s Sports Presenter Alan Jackson.

Cllr Graham Morgan, Chairman of Knowsley Council’s Leisure Committee said, “The awards evening once again illustrated the huge depth of sporting talent in the Borough as well as highlighting the hard work carried out by those involved in the various sports clubs and organisations. The event continues to go from strength to strength and this year it was a fitting occasion for the lottery grant to be officially presented to the Council to support the building of the new leisure centre in Halewood.”