Athletics technical officials outshone all other sports at the recent SOUK Awards Dinner, with Northern officials leading the way.
Dean Williams, Senior Lecturer at Edge Hill University who was a Field Referee for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and is currently a member of the European Athletics Area Technical Officials Panel was honoured as Officials’ Developer of the Year.
Sheffield’s Tom Smeeton, on the verge of attaining membership of the UK National List and currently finishing his studies at Manchester University, was recognised as Young Official of the Year.
Seventeen year-old, Dominic Ellis from Chester-Le-Street was the runner-up as Junior Official of the Year.
Elsewhere, Margaret Coombe from Oxfordshire, was named as Community Official of the Year. Cambridgeshire’s George Burton, at the age of 80, was recognised for the Lifetime Achievement award and Derbyshire’s Chris Cohen, IAAF ITO and Chair of the English Schools Athletic Association was recognised as Performance Official of the Year following a host of senior appointments in recent years with both the IAAF and IPC.
