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'Club of the Year' Award Clinched by Charity Work

Tuesday 2nd June 2009

The University of Sheffield Sabres American Football Team won ‘Club of the Year’ ahead of 48 other teams up for the award, at the University Sports Awards. Two other teams were nominated in the top three, but what Team Coach Simon Dwyer believes clinched it for the Sabres, was their commitment to fundraising and community work, which includes talks at a number of Sheffield schools.

Altogether the Team raised £2,334, of which over £1,500 was sponsorship from Encore Envelopes in York, for the Sabre’s unique fundraiser of £1 for every yard the ball was moved during matches that season.

Simon said:  “We are over the moon to have won the ‘Club of the Year’ award. We had a really good season on the field, but it was the charity work that made us stand out from the others. It was also the thing I was most proud of. Hopefully we have shown all the other clubs that raising money for good causes should be part of their plan too.” 

Next year Simon (35), who lives with his family in Castleford, West Yorkshire, will not be coaching the Sabres as he wants to spend more time with his three young sons. The youngest, Clayton, who has just turned one year old, has Cystic Fibrosis and this prompted Simon to divide the proceeds between Sheffield Hospitals Charitable Trust, who are raising funds for a new regional Cystic Fibrosis centre at the Northern General Hospital and the Paediatric CF unit in Leeds. 

However, Simon does not intend to stop fundraising and is planning to get more involved with fundraising and events. Simon continued:

 “The club is in very good hands and I know they have a good future ahead. I have really enjoyed the experience and will continue to raise funds and keep behind the guys to make sure the fundraising keeps going.” 

Isla Denoon, Fundraiser for Sheffield Hospitals Charitable Trust, pictured receiving the cheque from some of the team at the awards ceremony, said:

“Simon and the team put a huge amount of effort into their fundraising and community work. No-one knows more than Simon, as a parent of a child with Cystic Fibrosis, what the new CF Centre will mean to young patients and their families . We are very grateful for his and the team’s support.  Their efforts on the field, as well as giving up their time to raise funds, was quite rightly rewarded by being acclaimed ‘Club of the Year’. To us, they certainly are a Top Team!”

 

 

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