Manneh Elliott wins overall Barclays Community Sports Award

Manneh Elliott, a coach at Toxteth Tigers basketball team, honoured

The overall Barclays Community Sports Award for 2012-13 has been won by Manneh Elliott, a volunteer basketball coach of the Toxteth Tigers basketball team in Liverpool.

Elliott received the honour for his contribution to grassroots sport in his community where he has dedicated over 40 years to developing young peoples’ sporting and life skills.

The mentor has devoted his life to coaching, most recently in his role as Under-12’s volunteer basketball coach for Toxteth Tigers, who play at Fernhill Sports Centre in Bootle. He also coaches basketball in schools in the local area as well as running week-long basketball clinics during the school holidays.

"It’s such a great honour to have our club recognised in this way"
Manneh Elliott

Education and personal development are central to Manneh’s coaching philosophy and during his career as a volunteer he has helped several players achieve basketball scholarships to colleges in the United States. His role at the club extends beyond being a coach and he is committed to encouraging development on and off the court, acting as a role model to the young people he coaches.

Elliott won £5,000 for his club and a trophy, which was presented to him by former England player Gareth Southgate at the Barclays Community Sports Awards lunch that was attended by all of the 2012/13 monthly winners at the Haymarket Hotel, in London.

“I was overwhelmed to hear I was the winner of the February monthly award, so to have won the overall Barclays Community Sports Award is unbelievable,” Elliott said. “It’s such a great honour to have our club recognised in this way, and the prize money from the awards will help to secure the further development of the Toxteth Tigers. I can’t wait to tell the kids!”

Southgate called Elliott a “truly deserving winner”. He added: “His commitment to coaching and to developing young people’s skills is to be greatly admired and he is an example of the fantastic volunteers up and down the country who are making a real difference to grassroots sport.”

For more information on the monthly winners click here