World Netball President, Liz Nicholl CBE, has been awarded the Arthur Bell Trophy at the Sport and Recreation Alliances 2021 Annual General Meeting.
The award is to acknowledge Nicholl’s outstanding services to sport and recreation, and in receiving the award she is following in the footsteps of Sir Bobby Charlton, Baroness Sue Campbell and Lord Sebastian Coe.
The ex-Wales international netballer became World Netball President in 2019 at the biennial congress before the Liverpool 2019 World Cup, but has been at the forefront of international sport since 1980 when she appointed as CEO of England Netball and served for more than 15 years.
During Nicholl’s time with England Netball she saw the inclusion of the sport in the Commonwealth Games for the first time and set up the National Youth Development Programme.
Moving away from netball, in 1999 Nicholl became the Director of Elite Sport at UK Sport before progressing on to become Chief Operating Officer and then Chief Executive Officer at the same organisation.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, the World Netball President Nicholl said: “I took on all these responsibilities because people gave me a nudge as they thought I had potential and so I’ve always tried to do that to others through my career, especially young women when I’ve thought they have more potential then they realise.
“Today and every day I feel incredibly privileged to have been given all the opportunities and support that I’ve enjoyed throughout my career.
“I’m delighted to receive this award and I want to thank all those past and present who have helped me on my journey because I couldn’t have done it without you.
“Thank you very much indeed.”
Previous awards Nicholl has received include the British Sports Industry Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 and the Sports Journalists Award for Services to Sport in 2016.
World Netball would like to congratulate Liz on her award and thank her for her contribution to the sport.
To find out more about Liz’s award, please visit the Sport and Recreation Alliance website here.
