2026 SCDF Awards Evening: All of the Winners

On Friday 27th February 2026, we held our SCDF Awards Evening at the BrewDog Stadium, with community clubs from around the borough in attendance!

To kick off the evening, we had a special award. We recognised Billy Dillon for his hard work with the Foundation, rewarding him with a Volunteer of the Year award. Nights like these wouldn’t be possible without Billy’s hard work!

Match Official of the Year

The first award of the evening was for the Match Official of the Year. We had three nominees for the award, but the winner was Innes Arnold.

Nominees

    • Innes Arnold
    • Liam Jones
    • Tom Prescott

School Team of the Year

The second award of the evening was for the School Team of the Year. We had two nominees for the award, but the winner was Rainford High School.

Nominees

      • Rainford High
      • Sutton High

Community Club Volunteer of the Year

The third award of the evening was for Community Club Volunteer of the Year. We had eight nominees for the award, but the winner was Chris Swift.

Nominees

      • Carly Hodson
      • Chris Swift
      • Gary Leaver
      • Jon Rattigan
      • Karen Smith
      • Lee Marsh
      • Mike Woods
      • Tony Cunningham

Community Club Coach of the Year

The fourth award of the evening was for Community Club Coach of the Year. We had seven nominees for the award, but the winner was Chris Swift.

Nominees

      • Chris Hanby
      • Chris White
      • Danny Edwards
      • Jamie Smith
      • Mike Woods & Phil Glover
      • Paul Gartland
      • Paul Loughlin

Boys & Mens Team of the Year

The fifth award of the evening was for Boys & Mens Team of the Year. We had six nominees for the award, but the winner was Thatto Heath Crusaders u12’s.

Nominees

      • Blackbrook ARLFC u10’s
      • Haydock ARLFC u16’s
      • Pilkington Recs u14’s
      • Portico Vine u14’s
      • Thatto Heath Crusaders u12’s
      • Thatto Heath Crusaders 16’s

Outstanding Service to Rugby League

The sixth award of the evening was for those recognised for their Outstanding Service to Rugby League. We had six recipients of the award for 2026.

Nominees

      • Gary Swift
      • Innes Arnold
      • John Rees
      • Lyndsay Howarth
      • Phil Smith
      • Sophie Rowe

Girls & Women Team of the Year

The seventh award of the evening was for Girls & Women Team of the Year. We had five nominees for the award, but the winner was Haydock ARLFC u12’s.

Nominees

      • Blackbrook ARLFC u13’s
      • Haydock ARLFC 14’s
      • Pilkington Recs u15’s
      • Thatto Heath Crusaders u13’s
      • Thatto Heath Crusaders u15’s

Tom Blanthorne LDSL Award

The eighth award of the evening was for our LDSL Player of the Year, as nominated by Gareth Foster and the rest of the coaching staff. The winner of that award was Luke Evans.

Social Impact Award

The penultimate award of the evening was for Social Impact Award. We had four nominees for the award, but the winner was Phil Glover.

Nominees

      • Doyle Kenney
      • Phil Glover
      • Portico Vine
      • St Helens Referee Society

Kevin Thompson Legacy Awards

The final award of the evening was for the coverted Kevin Thompson Legacy Award. We had four nominees for the award, but the winner was Phil Glover.

Nominees

  • Billy Vaughan
  • Brad Billsborough
  • Frank Bradshaw
  • Mike Denning

The SCDF would like to say thank you and well done to all of the clubs throughout the 2025 campaign. We look forward to celebrating with you all again after hopefully a successful 2026 season!

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