Isle of Man Sport Aid has announced the recipients of its scholarship programme for 2017/18. In all, a total of 41 individuals from 12 sports, as well as Isle of Man Cycling’s Regional School of Racing, will be receiving support during the year. A number of Sport Aid Academy recipients will also be considered following the conclusion of this year’s Academy programme in July.
A scholarship from Isle of Man Sport Aid provides athletes with financial support towards their sporting costs in addition to support services at the Isle of Man Sport Institute.
Isle of Man Sport Aid has played a pivotal role in supporting the development of most of the Island’s sporting success stories over the past 15-20 years. A significant number of Sport Aid recipients have gone on to compete at the highest levels including World Championships and Olympic Games.
Chris Quine, Sports Performance Co-Ordinator, explained:
'The nomination process started in November 2016 where the athletes were nominated by their governing body’s Head of Performance. The Sport Aid committee have the challenging task of selecting the recipients against our qualifying criteria. The committee members have given up many hours of their own time throughout the process and I am very grateful for the dedication and energy they have shown, during this very time-consuming and thorough process. Working through all the applications to learn about the athlete’s ambitions within their sports and to see some taking their first steps as a performance athlete is exciting!'
'Sport Aid focusses on supporting performance athletes by providing access to services and professionals within the Sport Institute. This element is vital and probably the most important part of our support. We also provide workshops throughout the year on subjects which are beneficial to athletes' development and organisation.
'The Isle of Man’s Strategy for Sport highlights performance athletes not only as a credit to the Island, but also a major asset, by publicising the Isle of Man on the world stage. We have a remarkable number of high performers in an ever-increasing range of sports, achieving outstandingly high levels of accomplishment. To help us achieve this objective, we have selected six athletes to be this year’s ‘Sport Aid Affiliates’ and they will be supported in exchange for them wearing the Sport Aid logo and ‘three legs’ symbol on their clothing and/or equipment during competition where appropriate.
'Without support from corporate and private sponsors the Sport Aid Programme would not be able to provide such a high level of support. The sponsors of the programme offer scholarships in their organisations’ name to a number of the Sport Aid recipients and the Sport Aid Committee would like to thank all of our 2017/18 sponsors for their support. We know the athletes will represent their sponsors well throughout the year and act as ambassadors for sport on and off the Island! We are so pleased to once again confirm that the Manx Missile himself, Mark Cavendish (a previous recipient of Sport Aid support), will continue to be one of our principal sponsors. We always encourage those who wish to help us with investment in Manx sport in any way, to get in touch and join our team of sponsors.'
Isle of Man Sport Aid is a registered charity and partners include a number of local businesses, charites, trusts and individuals as well as the Isle of Man Government.
Scholarships will be presented at the 2016 Isle of Man Sports Awards, sponsored by Isle of Man Bank which takes place on Wednesday 22 March 2017 at the Villa Marina. Tickets are still available from Villa Gaiety website.
Full List Below:
Duke Scholarships
Jed Etchells (moto cross)
Max Ingham (moto cross)
TLC Scholarship
Sophie Taylor (equestrian)
CTH Insurance Scholarship
Tom Partington (athletics)
Top Spec Fencing Scholarship
Freya Duchars (hockey)
Tower Insurance Scholarship
Nick Corlett (cycling)
Tom Gandy (golf)
Ramsey Crookall Scholarship
Yasmin Ingham (equestrian)
Nedgroup Investments Scholarship
Anna Christian (cycling)
Rebecca Storrie (triathlon)
JR Moore Trust Scholarship
Ana Dawson (golf)
Elizabeth Clucas Trust Scholarship
Nathan Draper (cycling)
Jake Kelly (cycling)
Aston International Scholarship
Charlotte Atkinson (swimming)
James Maddrell (rugby)
Paysafe Group Scholarship
Ben Batchelor (sailing),
Elizabeth Holden (cycling)
Cavendish Scholarship
Conor Davies (cycling)
Emma Hodgson (swimming)
The Regional School of Racing (cycling)
Albert Gubay Fund for Sporting Excellence – Chase Your Dream
Tom Evans (hockey),
Spencer Cope (rugby)
Sport Aid Recipients
George Blackwell (rugby), Alex Bregazzi (swimming), Brandon Cain (snowboarding),
Guy Davies (swimming), Tara Donnelly (gymnastics), Tony Duchars (gymnastics),
Tara Ferguson (cycling), Georgia Foxton (hockey), Ben Grainger (swimming),
Will Greenbank (hockey), Grace Harrison (gymnastics), Joe Harris (athletics),
Josh Hewett (athletics), Brody Hewison (swimming), Laura Kinley (swimming),
Jessica Li (badminton), Catherine Reid (athletics), Joe Reid (athletics),
Joseph Ricciardi (Triathlon), Bevan Rodd (rugby).
Sport Aid Affiliates
Philip Cringle (rugby), Zoe Gillings-Brier (snowboarding), Tim Kneale (shooting),
Dan Kneen (motorcycling), Daniel McCanney (enduro), Jamie McCanney (enduro).
