As part of the three-year partnership, the event will be renamed The Sunday Times and Sky Sports Sportswomen of the Year Awards in association with Vitality.
Now in its 28th year, the Awards will be broadcast live from Sky Studios in West London on Sky 1 for the first time and simultaneously on Sky Sports 1 on Friday 6 November. The event will celebrate the hard work and dedication of elite sportswomen, coaches, administrators, community volunteers and inspirational female figures during the past year.
Vitality is the Official Wellness Partner of a range of leading women’s sports teams, including the England Netball Team, Liverpool Ladies FC, Manchester City Women FC, England Rugby Women, Scottish Rugby Women and the Welsh Rugby Union Women.
To further demonstrate its commitment to women’s team sports, Vitality will present the Vitality Team of the Year award at the 6 November event. The British public will have the chance to decide the winner from a shortlist which will be revealed in The Sunday Times sports section. Vitality will also present the Community Award, which will be voted for by its members.
Neville Koopowitz, Vitality CEO, said: “We believe female athletes are powerful role models who help inspire women of all ages to actively engage in sport and live a healthy life, which is why we partner with leading sports figures, teams and events to help us share the Vitality message. We are delighted to be partnering with The Sunday Times and Sky Sports and we look forward to celebrating the achievements of so many amazing sportswomen and other inspirational female figures at this great event.”
Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, said: “As champions of women’s sport for over 20 years, we’ve enjoyed seeing interest in the athletes and events continue to grow. We are passionate about introducing new audiences to women’s sport, so for the first time the awards will be broadcast simultaneously on Sky’s popular sport and entertainment channels, Sky Sports 1 and Sky 1. We look forward to working closely with Vitality on this fantastic event.”
Alex Butler, Sports Editor of The Sunday Times, said: “The Sportswomen of the Year Awards have grown enormously in stature since we first launched them in 1988. They are unique in recognising the phenomenal achievements of women in sport.
With the huge contribution of Sky Sports over the past two years as a co-sponsor and broadcaster, the event has moved to a new level. That profile will only continue to grow thanks to our new association with Vitality, the health and life insurer, who bring exciting ideas and endless energy to our wonderful event.
Together, we all look forward to celebrating the stunning achievements of our leading sportswomen from 2015.”
The shortlists for the 2015 The Sunday Times and Sky Sports Sportswomen of the Year Awards in association with Vitality will be announced in October.
The previous winners of the Sportswoman of the Year accolade are:
1988 Olive Jones
1989 Kim Thomas
1990 Denise Smith
1991 Sally Gunnell
1992 Tanni Grey-Thompson
1993 Sally Gunnell
1994 Denise Lewis
1995 Lynn Simpson
1996 Laura Davies
1997 Alison Nicholas
1998 Denise Lewis
1999 Paula Radcliffe
2000 Denise Lewis
2001 Ellen MacArthur
2002 Paula Radcliffe
2003 Pippa Funnell
2004 Dame Kelly Holmes
2005 Zara Phillips
2006 No award
2007 Victoria Pendleton
2008 Nicole Cooke
2009 Chrissie Wellington
2010 Maggie Alphonsi
2011 Sarah Stevenson
2012 Jessica Ennis-Hill
2013 Christine Ohuruogu
2014 Charlotte Dujardin
