Live Active Leisure has announced the finalists in the 2024 Perth and Kinross Sports Awards. Now in their 35th year, the prestigious awards are promoted and supported in partnership with Perth & Kinross Sports Council and recognise the commitment and achievements of volunteers, teams and athletes from across a wide range of sports in our local area.

Phil Coleman, Service Manager – Physical Activity and Sport at Live Active Leisure commented:

“Once again, these awards give us a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the sporting community of Perth and Kinross. Getting to our shortlist of finalists this year was the hardest it has ever been. 

From the incredible nominations we have received, we can see that our Sports Awards really mean a lot to local people, clubs and sports organisations.  The impact that our local volunteers and clubs are making, knows no end and we are looking forward to showing our appreciation for the contribution that they make at our awards ceremony”

The ceremony will take place at Perth Art Gallery on Friday 7th March 2025 and promises to showcase local sporting talent and those people committed to inspiring future generations.

 
The full list of finalists features a total of 33 volunteers, coaches, athletes and teams with achievements gained during the period from January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2024.

For information about previous winners, please visit our previous winners page here and find out more about the finalists, listed in no particular order below.

Sports Personality of the Year

Charlie Aldridge (Mountain Biking)

Crieff mountain biker Charlie Aldridge competed at the Olympic Games in his first full year as a senior athlete. Brilliant performances at the 2023 Glasgow World Championships put him in the frame for Olympic Selection as well as attracting the attention of the Cannondale Factory Racing team, who signed Aldridge for the 2024 season.  In Paris on the Élancourt Hill, Aldridge had a remarkable Olympic Games debut, finishing in eighth place.

Gregor Graham (Golf)

Gregor from Blairgowrie has had an outstanding season in amateur golf bringing his world ranking down from just under 500 to inside the top 70 players in the world, winning both the South African and English Amateur Championships. Arguably Scotland's best player in 2024, Gregor earned his European Challenge Tour card for the 2025 season, an initiative started by the European Tour, PGA of America and the R&A, to provide young amateur golfers a pathway onto professional tours.

Gregor Miller (Judo)

Gregor from Bridge of Earn has had a phenomenal year, competing in 2024 as a GB and Scotland senior for only his second year. Early in the year Gregor won gold at the BUCS Championships, followed by gold medals at the Irish and Welsh Open Championships, a silver at the Scottish Senior Open Championships, gold at the Scottish National Championships, and bronze at the British Championships.

Young Sports Personality of the Year

Eilidh Dallas (Athletics)

Auchterarder athlete Eilidh’s highlight of the year was, undoubtedly, winning the prestigious U15 title at the Scottish National Championships in February. Eilidh executed her race plan to perfection, winning in a sprint finish. The Auchterarder resident moved up to U17 for the track season and set excellent PBs at both 1500m and 3000m which are also the fastest times set by not only any U17 athlete but also any U20 in Scotland this year. She also was crowned National U17 3000m champion in May.

Olivia Doherty (Netball)

Olivia from Perth represented Scotland in both the U19 and the U17 squad where she gained European Netball selection for Gibraltar, March 2024, where the team were silver medal winners. Olivia achieved a netball scholarship to attend Millfield School in Somerset to further her netball opportunities, gaining access to world class training and support. This fantastic opportunity will open up more playing opportunities and exposure to the Netball Performance League pathway.

Connie Urquhart (Highland Dancing)

Connie from Scone has had an outstanding 2024 with the highlight undoubtedly being 5th place in the Juvenile World Championships in August. Connie was a winner of an amazing nine major Championships in 2024 including UK Champion, European Champion (age 14) and All England Champion (U16) as well as securing top 5 placings in other Championships and winning numerous Highland Games competitions.

Disability Sports Personality of the Year

Steve Key (Inchture Bowling Club)

Steve from Inchture has had an amazing 2024, including selection to represent Scotland for the first time in the Para squad. In May, Steve made his debut in a test match against Ireland, remaining unbeaten in all his matches to help Scotland secure a convincing win.  Steve is the only bowler in the squad who uses a wheelchair. In September Steve went on to be crowned National Lawn Bowls Champion in Aberdeen, defending his 2023 title in a top-class field of wheelchair bowlers.

Brogan Dodds (Perth Dolphins Disability Swim Club)

Training with Perth Dolphins Disability Swim Club, Brogan from Auchterarder won silver in the backstroke at the National Championships in Inverness for swimmers with a Learning Disability. Brogan also performed well at the Scottish Down’s Syndrome Swimming Championships in Ayr, beating personal bests and winning more medals. In November, Brogan travelled to London to compete in the GB Down Syndrome British Swimming Championships for the first time, winning three gold medals in the backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly, and bronze in the freestyle.

Alex Medley (Perth Eagles Wheelchair Sports Club)

Alex, from Kinkell Bridge, is a member of Perth Eagles Boccia Club and was crowned BC2 Scottish Boccia Champion at the Scottish Boccia Championships in Stirling in May, securing his automatic qualification for the UK Boccia Championships. In November, Alex travelled to Largs to take part in his first UK Boccia Championships, rubbing shoulders with the very best players in the UK – many of whom had recently returned from the Paralympics in Paris. Alex performed extremely well, winning 4 of his games to finish 7th overall.

Veteran Sports Personality of the Year

Paul Haslam (Triathlon)

Perth Triathlon Club member Paul, competes in the 65-69 age category and has enjoyed success in many races at home and abroad in 2024, including age group gold in the British Duathlon Championships, age group gold in three Scottish Championships  (sprint triathlon, standard triathlon and aquathlon), age group silver in the European Middle Distance Duathlon Championships and two age group bronze European Championships medals in Sprint & Standard Triathlon.

Ron Hunter (Athletics)

Ron from Crieff competes in the M60 age category and is ranked as the faster sprinter in the UK in his age category. In August Ron travelled to Gothenburg for the World Masters Athletics Championships where he won the silver medal in the 4 x 100m Relay Team. At the European Indoor Athletics event, Ron was an individual finalist, placing 4th in the 60m, setting the record for running the fastest ever time by a Scot in his age group (8.05 seconds).Ron was also British indoor silver medallist (M60) over 200m.

Siobhan Penman (Hockey)

Siobhan from Perth was chosen to represent Scotland in the Masters World Cup which was held in Cape Town in October 2024. Siobhan competes in the Women's 40's Team who had an outstanding competition. Playing against Alliance IMC, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Germany, New Zealand and Australia, Siobhan scored in a number of the matches, but it was the final game against Alliance IMC that stood out, with Siobahn scoring 2 goals, contributing to a fantastic 8-0 win.

Coach of the Year

Tommy Ogilvie (Strathallan Tennis)

LTA Level 3 coach Tommy is the head tennis coach for Strathallan School and has created a programme for all pupils to play weekly, from age 5-18, supporting both beginners right up to national level players. In March the girls team won the LTA Youth Schools Regional Finals, and in May both the girls and boys team won their respective Scottish Schools Championships.

Ashley Mazur (Perth City Junior Netball Club)

Ashleigh is the U15 coach at Perth City Juniors Netball Club and has created a strong dedicated team who want to win. With Ashleigh as coach, the team have gone on to retain their U15 2023 title, with a victory at the U15 Scottish Cup in June.

Phil Carson (Salle Ossian Fencing Club)

Phil is head coach of Salle Ossian Fencing Club leading sessions six times a week. His passion for coaching is such that in 2024 he completed a Masters in Sports Performance Coaching and has been invited by Scottish Fencing to assist in a coaching review of the sport. Phil supports many athletes at the club, with members bringing home numerous gold, silver and bronze medals from the 2024 Scottish Open and an impressive collection of gold, silver and bronze medals from the Scottish Youth Championships.

Youth Leadership Award

Elise Brand (Football)

Elise has had a major role in the development and provision of girl's football at Perth Academy. She supports extra-curriculum provision twice a week, at lunchtime and after school. She attends festivals and tournaments, where she takes on the role of team manager, linesman and referee, and she attended school through study and exam leave in 2024 to continue her coaching and allow the girls sessions to continue. Elise is also a sportscotland Young Ambassador, leads pupil voice focus groups at school and is a true role model for those around her.

Ava Marshall (Netball)

Participating in a number of roles throughout the year including coach, umpire, fundraiser and event volunteer, Ava is directly involved in school, club, local authority and NGB sports programmes. Ava coaches the Bertha Park High School S1 - S3 netball teams in after school sessions, with the S1 and S3 teams making it to the Quarter & Semi Finals of the Scottish Schools Cup.Ava also volunteered on Sunday mornings, supporting the U11 Perth City Netball Team. She successfully achieved her 100-hour Saltire Award in June and at the end of the year totalled an amazing 174 hours. Her dedication not only won her the 2024 Sports Volunteer of the Year at Berth Park High School but also led to her being selected to be part of a University of Edinburgh project group, where she was able to use her experiences from sport to support the development of technology to combat teen loneliness.

Kyle Clark (Multiple Sports)

Kyle is integral to the running of the extracurricular programme at St John's RC Academy. He is reliable and self-motivated, committing four lunchtimes a week to helping in the PE Department. His role as Club Ambassador includes updating the club noticeboard every morning, taking registers for all clubs, helping to monitor the PE corridor, managing the changing rooms, setting up/putting away equipment and helping in the running of clubs. Kyle also has extensive voluntary experience outside of school with Tayside Judo Club, Willowgate Activities Centre and as a Scottish Police Youth Volunteer.

School Team of the Year

Bertha Park S3 Netball Team

The Bertha Park High School S3 netball team won their regional round, then continued to have a successful campaign to make it to the semi-final of the Netball Scotland S3 Schools Scottish Cup, putting them in the top four S3 teams across all of Scotland.

Strathallan S3 Hockey Team

Strathallan’s S3 hockey team won Midlands District S3 Tournament, scoring 7 goals in 4 games. The team were unbeaten in 2024 across 16 fixtures and a third of the team are on the national district pathway.

Strathallan School Girls Team (Tennis)

The Strathallan School 1st Girls Team 2024 were crowned North Regional Champions after winning the Regional Finals in Sunderland in March 2024. The team qualified after defeating other Scottish schools to qualify. In May the girls team won the Scottish Schools Championships. After qualifying as Scotland representative, the team competed at the National Finals in Nottingham. Impressively, the girls won 27 of 29 fixtures in 2024.

Chuck Hay Team of the Year

U15 District Netball Squad

The Perth & Kinross U15 District Squad were crowned National Champions in the Sirens District Competition in May 2024. They qualified after winning 10 out of 10 matches in the Central Sirens League qualifying to play against the top teams from the North and South Section.

Perthshire Rugby U16 Team

The Perthshire U16's Girls team reached the finals of The Saltire Energy Caledonia Cup, where 12 youth finals all happen in one place on one day. After playing as far afield as Shetland in the quarter finals, and in Perth for the semi-finals, Perthshire travelled to Aberdeen to play against Stirling RFC, finishing the competition as the U16 runners up, a fantastic achievement for the team.

Perth City Juniors U15 Netball Club

The U15 squad won theScottish Youth Cup title for a second year running, and managed to win every league they entered throughout 2024. This included the U15 Central Netball Association Division 1 League, U15 Perth & Kinross Netball Association League and the Netball Dundee Junior League.

Volunteer of the Year

Neil Sutherland (Shinty)

Neil is the driving force behind Shinty in Perth and Kinross and has established Primary school shinty in Crieff and Breadalbane, supporting the creation of a community shinty club for the area. Neil has delivered over 100 hours of volunteering to provide children with free shinty coaching. He successfully raised funds to buy shinty kit to help more young people take part and delivered two primary school shinty festivals in Perth & Kinross in 2024. At Crieff High School, Neil is also now developing shinty for secondary pupils.

Stephen Shiels (Scone Thistle Football Club)

Stephen volunteers for Scone Thistle Football Club and lives for helping the players. He coaches two different teams at the club taking up most of his weekdays and weekends. 

On top of this, Stephen goes above and beyond to makes sure that all club members can play each week by securing pitches for all teams and making sure that they are all playable. He has also managed to source a container and fences to ensure that the club’s equipment and pitches are secure. As well as arranging fixtures and pitch allocations, Stephen also looks after the club’s social media.

Lucy Rogers (Tay Rowing Club)

As Club Captain, Lucy gives countless hours each week to lead the club’s Learn-to-Row, Return-to-Row, and Junior coaching programmes. A committed coach she makes sure that the participants have all the information that they need and provides a friendly welcoming environment for all.

As a dedicated committee member, Lucy also ensures the smooth day-to-day running of Tay Rowing Club. This includes organising all club rowing sessions to ensure that everyone safely gets out on the water, leading on all club strength and conditioning programmes to improve performance, managing all club entries into races, and providing coaching sessions to crews leading up to races and events. 

Sport for Change Award

Perth Parrots Floorball Club

The Perth Parrots Floorball Club have been working tirelessly to build strong community links throughout Perth & Kinross so that more people from the LGBTIQ+ community feel inspired to take part in sport and physical activity. This has seen the club work closely with school LGBTIQ+ groups to host an inter-school floorball competition, with the vision of establishing the first LGBTIQ+ youth sports group in Scotland. The club’s efforts to raise the profile of LGBTIQ+ sport led to the club helping to arrange, and feature in, the Unicorn exhibition at Perth Museum and members ran stalls at community events at the AK Bell Library and Perthshire Pride, advertising multiple free floorball taster sessions and social opportunities. 

Blairgowrie & Rattray Community Football Trust

Part of the Scottish Football Association & Scottish Government-funded programme, Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Football Trust partnered with Rattray Primary School to improve outcomes for families facing higher levels of deprivation. Targeted families, chosen in partnership with the school, were offered after school childcare provision to support parent/carer work commitments, education, training or respite. After school provision included physical activity, indoor fun activities, and a two-course meal to assist with food poverty. 

Auchterarder Community Sport & Recreation - Cycling Hub

The ACSR sport and recreation working group members have been quietly working away to create Auchterarder Cycle Hub. The hub exists to support cycling for all and sustainable travel in and around Auchterarder. During 2024 the newly formed hub upcycled donated bikes to give them to the community, either free of charge through a linked programme such as Bikes for Refugees or the Blue Door Food Programme, or through a pay what you can process, to generate funds to refurbish more bikes. Volunteers delivered bikeability training sessions and 'access to cycling' packages (comprising cycle equipment and training sessions). The group also secured funding to purchase a trishaw, and trained volunteer pilots to start taking elderly people from care homes, out on three wheels.

George Mortimer Service to Sport Award

Bob McFarlane (Rossie Priory Cricket Club)

Bob played his final senior match in 2024 after a playing career of 60+ years all of which he played for Rossie Priory or representing Rossie at county level. Within his 60 years playing career, not only did he score 15,000 runs including eight centuries, but he also nurtured and coached many juniors to a senior level. Bob has played a crucial role in maintaining the ground at Rossie Priory for many years, cutting the outfield and surrounding areas of the ground twice a week. Bob served as a board member for Cricket Scotland (including two years as President) and served on cricket committees from a local to national level.

Phil Carson (Salle Ossian Fencing Club)

Phil is a world class Level 5 fencing coach with over 40 years coaching experience which he provides to Perthshire children and young adults, free of charge, six days a week. Phil was the driving force befind the charity Salle Ossian Fencing Club, based in Perth, which was the first training facility of its kind in Scotland. His aim was to make fencing accessible to all at minimal cost, and he has since gone on to develop programmes that help to promote women and girls' inclusion in the sport. 

As well as being a Level 5 coach in all three fencing disciplines, in March 2024 Phil achieved an MSc in Sports Performance Coaching and is now assisting Scottish Fencing with the reform of fencing coaching in Scotland.

Ann Dickson (Perth City Swim Club)

Former PE teacher Ann has been head coach with Perth City Swim Club for over 30 years and in that time has led swimmers to the Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games. She has consistently placed swimmers on Scottish and British Youth teams and latterly Scottish and British Senior teams most notably Commonwealth, European, World and Olympic medallist Stephen Milne, Gold Coast swimmer Scott McLay and Camilla Hattersley who competed at Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018.

Ann is passionate about creating the best environment for her swimmers and drives a hard-working culture in sessions. She works hard to mentor coaches to be the best they can and encourages swimmers to get involved with coaching, to harness their knowledge and passion in the sport, for the next generation.

 

Pictured above: 2023 Sports Personality of the Year joint winners Laura Watt (curling) and Holly Wilkie-Milne (curling) with event host, Stevie Baxter.

Image Credit: Stuart Cowper