Baroness Sue Campbell CBE, the Chair of UK Sport and the Youth Sport Trust, was presented with the Recognition of Outstanding Contribution to Sport and Coaching Award at the UK Coaching Awards on Wednesday evening.
Campbell said: “I would like to thank sports coach UK for this fantastic award. I have been enormously privileged to have worked as a coach and to play my part in sport across the entire spectrum from the playground to the podium.”
“It is important for all of us to remember, when things get tough, that after you’re gone people do not remember the car you drove, the size of the house you lived in or the balance of your bank account, but if you have touched the life of one child, you will be remembered.”
“2008 has been a wonderful year for British coaching, from school and community sport to the performances in Beijing, excellent coaching has been the backbone to all of these success stories. We must continue to strive for a world class system across the UK for the development of great coaches at all levels.”
British Cycling Head Coach Shane Sutton was named Coach of the Year. The Australian - a key figure behind the dominance enjoyed on the track by the UK's cycling stars - was presented his award by HRH The Princess Royal in a glittering ceremony at the Dorchester in London's Mayfair.
Sutton was also one of seven recipients of the High-Performance Coach of the Year Award, as was Rebecca Adlington's coach Bill Furniss.
Furniss also picked up The Coaching Chain: The Appreciation of Coaching Award along with Linda Bennett, Ian Negus and Glenn Smith. The award celebrates all the coaches that have contributed along the way to an athlete's success - on this occasion Rebecca Adlington - and was presented by the Olympic double-gold swimmer herself.
British Swimming was named Governing Body of the Year while Andy Banks - coach of diver Tom Daley - won Performance Development Coach of the Year.
There was also reward for the dedication and achievements of golf coach John Jacobs OBE - who has worked with players such as Ian Woosnam and Gary Player, who was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
UK Coaching Awards 2008 Winners
Coach of the Year:
Shane Sutton (Cycling)
Young Coach of the Year (Supported by sportscotland):
Duncan Parniss (Hockey)
Lifetime Achievement Award:
John Jacobs OBE (Golf)
Recognition of Outstanding Contribution to Sport and Coaching:
Baroness Sue Campbell CBE
High Performance Coach of the Year (Supported by UK Sport):
Jenny Archer (Paralympic Athletics)
Bill Furniss (Swimming)
Chris Gowers (Sailing)
Jurgen Grobler (Rowing)
Billy Pye (Paralympic Swimming)
Shane Sutton (Cycling)
Robert Torrance (Golf)
Performance Development Coach of the Year (Supported by the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence):
Andy Banks (Diving)
Participation Coach of the Year:
Darren Barton (Rowing)
The Coaching Chain: The Appreciation of Coaching Award (Supported by the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence):
Linda Bennett; Ian Negus; Glenn Smith and Bill Furniss (Coaches of Rebecca Adlington)
Children's Coach of the Year:
Gordon Fearn and Martin Tilling (Nottinghamshire Play Sport)
Coach Educator of the Year:
John Mills (Cycling)
Governing Body of the Year:
British Swimming
Coaching Environment of the Year (Sponsored by the SkillsActive and the National Skills Academy):
Leeds Metropolitan University
Agency in Support of Coaching:
Coaching Highland
Coaching Intervention of the Year (sponsored by The Media Group): Coaching Communities Project as part of the Sports Pathways to Employment Programme. Managed by Sports Structures in partnership with Sandwell MBC
Minster for Sport Gerry Sutcliffe MP said: "Coaches are often the unsung heroes of sport, working tirelessly to help sportsmen and women achieve their best and win medals or trophies.
"The UK Coaching Awards recognises the achievements of coaches across the sports spectrum, from grass roots to elite level. It's an opportunity for coaches to pat themselves on the back following a phenomenal year, not least for the success Team GB enjoyed in Beijing, but also for those that have helped moved things forward in school and community sport."
Andy Banks, coach of Tom Daley, said: "All elite athletes begin their career as a novice and it is only with quality coaching at all stages of athlete development that it becomes possible for there to be elite performances to applaud. It is important therefore to recognize the efforts of the coaches involved, from grass roots to elite level, as they all play an integral role in helping to produce the finished product."
Dave Brailsford, Performance Director, British Cycling Olympic Programmes, said: "Coaching is at the heart of British Cycling's programmes from grass roots to elite. From Go-Ride to Olympic Podium, all our programmes share the foundation of quality coaching, which is crucial to the development of riders at every level.
"The shared hard work, dedication and expertise of both volunteer and professional coaches has made a huge contribution to British Cycling's recent success. The contribution of elite coaches has rightly been applauded at Olympic level, while the opportunity to pay tribute to the quiet and diligent hard work of those dedicated coaches bringing through the developing riders is welcomed."