Out For Sport Awards winners announced on ‘special’ night full of queer joy in London
Record crowd for Out For Sport Awards 2026 gala ceremony, celebrating achievements in LGBTQ+ sports in London and South East; winners from tennis, hockey, rugby, rowing and swimming clubs among those collecting trophies; charity says it is “so proud” of all the finalists…
The oldest LGBTQ+ tennis club in the UK and one of the capital’s newest queer sports communities feature among the success stories from the Out For Sport Awards 2026.
The winners in 11 categories celebrating achievements in queer sports from across London and the South East were announced at the charity’s gala night in Shoreditch on Friday.
More than 150 people – a record crowd for the event – packed into Ballie Ballerson for the ceremony. It’s the fifth time that Out For Sport, which counts more than 35 clubs, teams and associations in its member network, has staged an Awards night, and the community turned out in force to show its support.
Co-chair David Lionetti said: “The night belonged to our clubs, and they made it feel different this year. They didn’t just turn up to collect trophies; they turned up for each other.
“Clubs cheered as loudly for others as for their own, and stayed late meeting newcomers and offering each other support.
“What our member clubs showed is that they have each other’s backs, and that’s what makes this network so special. Huge congratulations to every winner and every finalist.”
Previous winners of the Out For Sport Awards and Sports Media LGBT+ formed a panel of judges to select this year’s winners.
It was a case of double delight for ACE Players Tennis Croydon as they claimed the prestigious Club of the Year honour, shortly before cheers went up for their joint coordinator Leigh Armstrong when he was announced as the winner of the Ivan Bussens Lifetime Achievement Award.
ACE Players are marking their 50th anniversary, and for 43 of those years, Armstrong has been part of their inspirational story.
He has been on the committee for more than three decades and has worked hard to ensure people of all ages and backgrounds, and however they identify, feel truly welcome on and off the court.
In an emotional acceptance speech, Armstrong paid tribute to his fellow ACE Players and also to every volunteer who devotes their time and energy to keeping LGBTQ sports clubs at the heart of the community.
He said: “We may not get paid, but that’s not because we’re worthless – it’s because we’re priceless.”
Also from tennis, North London Lob-sters‘ Simon Shipman was named Volunteer of the Year. He organised the club’s first-ever competition team, then went as captain rather than take a playing spot himself.
Simon was roundly applauded in the room for his powerful speech, which highlighted the need for dedicated LGBTQ+ inclusive spaces in the face of rising transphobia and other forms of prejudice in society.
He vowed that he and the Lob-sters would continue to “serve our wonderful, colourful and crazy community” – a perfect fit for his sport.
London Otters Rowing Club claimed two trophies on the night, for Inclusive Club of the Year and for Rising Team of the Year.
The first of those can be attributed in large part to the Otters’ launch of a fund for members facing financial hardship and a reasonable adjustments policy for disabled rowers.
The second prize was for the club’s Novice Squad, who formed its first-ever all-novice Women’s Eight – for most of the crew, it was also their first-ever race.
After lifting the Bingham Cup in Brisbane and returning from the Valencia Gay Games with gold medals in rugby, it was another triumph for Kings Cross Steelers’ men’s 1st XV as they were named Team of the Year.
When it comes to individual excellence, Sam Woodcock of Ishigaki Ju Jitsu was the standout in the Sporting Achievement of the Year category. Sam earned his black belt after eight years of training through injury and surgery, carrying on through his grading despite dislocated toes.
Making their debut in the winners’ circle at the Out For Sport Awards was Gayzelles Sporting Club, who were named Emerging Club of the Year. The multi-sport club in Woolwich and Abbey Wood has no membership fee, and marched at Pride in London for the first time this summer.
Having stepped up to become Out to Swim London’s chair, Emma Keen was the recipient of the Newcomer of the Year Award. She also broke an IGLA record in the 800m freestyle.
Meanwhile, Camden Shorinji Kempo became the first-ever winners of the Club Partnership of the Year category, after opening its doors to Imperial Shorinji Kempo when it lost its lead instructor.
There was a strong turnout of members from London Royals Hockey Club, who have enjoyed great success at previous editions of the Awards, and they were treated to another trophy this year in the Game Changer category.
The club spoke out against governing body England Hockey’s restrictive trans policy and combined words with action at their annual Pride Cup event.
In their acceptance speech, Royals chair Ella Slade made a rousing rallying cry to stand with trans+ people at all levels of sport.
Their comments reflected a pervasive sense of Pride throughout the night, a mixture of accolades and activism – a party with a purpose.
Out For Sport co-chair Suzanna Maas saluted the indefatigable commitment of all those who were shortlisted.
“All of our finalists built something bigger than their club or team,” she said.
“A rowing crew who’d never raced a day in their lives, a jujitsuka who refused to let dislocated toes stop him from getting that black belt, and a brave tennis club that has been staying strong for 50 years.
“Forget elite sports or medals, it’s the people that turn up every week, pull their weight, and make it a place that queer people feel they belong.
“If you’re looking for that, there’s a club in our network waiting for you. Getting shortlisted out of 51 nominations is a big win on its own, and we’re proud of every single one of them.”
Out For Sport Awards 2026 – winners and shortlistees
Club of the Year: Ace Players Tennis Croydon. Shortlisted: Brazukas Universe; Kings Cross Steelers RFC
Ivan Bussens Lifetime Achievement Award: Leigh Armstrong, Ace Players Tennis Croydon. Shortlisted: Richard Freeman, Kings Cross Steelers RFC; Ben Gifford, Out to Swim
Team of the Year: Kings Cross Steelers RFC (Men’s 1st XV). Shortlisted: Ishigaki Ju Jitsu (Gay Games competitors); London Otters Rowing Club (Senior Squad)
Volunteer of the Year: Simon Shipman, North London Lob-sters Tennis. Shortlisted: Jordan Chan, Invicta Icons Cricket; Richard Walton, Out to Swim
Sporting Achievement of the Year: Sam Woodcock, Ishigaki Ju Jitsu. Shortlisted: Jono Elvin, Kings Cross Steelers RFC; Kieran Slator, London Royals Hockey Club;
Inclusive Club of the Year: London Otters Rowing Club. Shortlisted: Leftfooters FC; The London Stags RFC
Emerging Club of the Year: Gayzelles Sporting Club. Shortlisted: All-Out Padel
Game Changer of the Year: London Royals Hockey Club. Shortlisted: Tim Regan, UK Equality Dance Council
Rising Team of the Year: London Otters Rowing Club (Novice Squad). Shortlisted: Camden Shorinji Kempo (Embu team); North London Lob-sters Tennis (Pride in Tennis Cup team)
Newcomer of the Year: Emma Keen, Out to Swim. Shortlisted: Maria Trindade, North London Lob-sters Tennis; Ben Yolland, The London Stags RFC
Club Partnership of the Year: Camden Shorinji Kempo. Shortlisted: London Otters Rowing Club; North London Lob-sters Tennis
Further reading…
Highlights from the Out For Sport Awards 2026
‘The Out For Sport Awards are incredibly important for London’s LGBTQ community’ (Sports Media LGBT+ on Substack, October 2026)
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