Growing up, Sports Personality of the Year was always something I looked forward to. It was a sign that Christmas was close, and the chance to look back on some of the great footage from the year.
I was always allowed to make one phone call to vote for my favourite candidate, normally a footballer or a cricketer who may have made the cut that year. 2023 was a special year for me, and it was a real honour to finish runner-up – a full-circle moment from the boy who used to tune in and watch on a Sunday night.
The opportunity to take a moment and look back on the sporting highlights over the past 12 months makes you sit back and realise how spoilt we have been as sports fans. A flight over to Australia for the Ashes was the first chance I’ve had to do this properly and my notes have spilled over a few pages, considering some of the incredible moments, performances, victories and celebrations.
I’ve worked with the team at Fitzdares to pull together an ‘Alternative SPOTY Awards’, with categories that won’t be covered by the BBC. Some have been easier than others when deciding a winner, but one thing is for sure, I wasn’t short on options. Enjoy reminiscing over the moments, and hopefully 2026 can deliver the same again!
Makes you sit back and realise how spoilt we have been as sports fans.
BREAKOUT STAR
There is no shortage of candidates I could put forward here. My heart wants to nominate Elliot Anderson of my beloved Nottingham Forest. He’s had an incredible 12 months, culminating in getting his first England caps. I’m hoping we can hold on to him in January.
If you look at rugby, it’s hard to look past Henry Pollock. Everything he has touched in a Northampton Saints or England shirt has turned to gold. He ran rings around Leinster in the Champions Cup semi-final, scored on his England debut in Cardiff, and was a bolter for the British & Irish Lions. He looks such a talent and has a knack already of being in the right place at the right time.
Looking at cricket, there are three young guns that come straight to my mind. Jacob Bethell has been explosive in the white-ball format, Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored an IPL hundred aged 14, and Davina Perrin scored a century in The Hundred aged 18. All three are going to be stars of the global game.
WINNER: Henry Pollock.
BEST RIVALRY
The year has seen plenty of incredible rivalries, some new, some renewed. The most iconic Formula One seasons are when two drivers are going toe to toe through to the final race. However, when those two drivers are also in the same team, it goes up to another level. While McLaren may have wrapped up the Constructors’ Championship early on, their drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris contested the Drivers’ Championship (along with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen) right to the end of the season.
From a cricket perspective, England’s men and India enjoyed a series full of attrition. While it was played in the right spirit, there was undeniable tension and competition out there, which delivered one of the great Test series.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner also look like they will meet each other in a record-breaking number of grand slam finals during their career, in a rivalry that could be a decade-long. But for me, it has to be the Ryder Cup. The rivalry on the course really extended to the stands in New York, but every credit to the European team for overcoming the hostile environment. An away win is always a huge feat, but in those circumstances it’s even more impressive.
WINNER: Ryder Cup.
UNDERDOG STORY
I could be accused of being biased by opening with Nottingham Forest on this one, but I’d like to think the neutral would stand by me too on this! Considering the return to the Premier League feels fresh in the memory, a return to European football for the first time since 1996 is huge for the club. I’m not sure many would have called it at the start of last season, but Champions League football looked like a very realistic possibility for much of the season.
Another great story from this year has been Tommy Fleetwood, one of the nicest guys in golf. The narrative around him not winning on the PGA Tour seemed to be weighing him down with some near misses this season and prior to that. For him to go and win at the Tour Championship was clearly a very popular win among his peers. His form hasn’t dipped since either, playing a key role at the Ryder Cup and then winning in India.
I’ve also mentioned Europe’s win at Bethpage here, where the away team is often seen as underdog. Europe were so strong on paper, but winning in New York is one for the history books.
WINNER: Tommy Fleetwood.
The rivalry on the course really extended to the stands in New York.
WIZARDRY AWARD
The final round of the Masters this year was full of wizardry. Augusta National seems to be a course where someone who can shape the ball comes out on top.
I’ve never been so engrossed in an individual sporting event as I was that evening. Time after time, when Rory McIlroy needed to deliver something spectacular, he did it. The top tracer Sky Sports managed to put on some of his shots highlighted just how spectacular they were, shaping from left to right and right to left over water to almost gimmie distance. An incredible performance, and amazing to see him win his career grand slam.
In among the Lionesses’ victory in the summer, it was impossible to not be in awe of Hannah Hampton in goal. In the quarter-finals, she had a bleeding nose, with the old-school tissue visible during the penalty shootout. She saved two as England went on to win, before doing the same in the semi-final. I also enjoyed her throwing the opposition goalkeeper’s water bottle into the crowd, losing her notes on the Lionesses’ penalty takers at the same time!
My final player on this shortlist would be Ellie Kildunne. She has the star quality that transcends sport of rugby. Her tries were a key part of the Red Roses winning, but it was also the skills she showed to find space from nowhere that saw them win at Twickenham.
WINNER: Rory McIlroy
BEST ATMOSPHERE
This is another one that could be contentious among readers. I have to include a trip to Seville to watch Real Betis play Nottingham Forest. I’ve always dreamt of a European away trip with Forest, so to go with my best friend and our dads is something I won’t forget in a hurry. I think football fans will resonate with this – sometimes it’s the memories that come with it, more than the result. 2-2 was fair on the night, and the Forest fans did the club proud.
Another day that will live long in the memory was the final day at the Oval during the India Test match. The game was on a knife-edge for so much, impossible to call who would win. But the noise when Chris Woakes came down the steps from the changing rooms with one arm in a sling was incredible. Putting himself in the firing line for the team liked that epitomised Woakesy.
My final one would have to be Augusta National. While I wasn’t there, the idea of no phones being allowed on the course meant that fans were solely watching the golf and getting their updates from giant scoreboards. You could hear the roars through TV coverage and hear everyone willing Rory McIlroy on to victory there. It will definitely go down as an ‘I was there’ moment for those who were, and a unique atmosphere I hope to experience in the future!
WINNER: Real Betis v Nottingham Forest (let me give Forest on ASPOTY award, please!).
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Stuart Broad is Fitzdares’ Ambassador.
