Alpha Badminton Players collect special Mary Peters Trust Awards

Their achievements were celebrated at a special Athletes’ Academy event held at Newforge Sports Complex, Belfast and hosted by Paralympian champion Michael McKillop.

Congratulating the current cohort, MPT director Will Doggart said: “Today’s young athletes are competing at venues across the world and funding support is vital to help them fulfil their sporting dreams.

"Athletes and their families sacrifice a lot to push forward and develop in their sport and we at the Trust love seeing how each person’s journey progresses. We wish our current award winners all the very best for the future.”

Alpha Badminton’s Conor Blakeman, Paige Woods, Christopher Chee and Jeffrey Rong were each presented with funding awards, whilst Daniel Orr and Roisin McKenna collected David Magill Coaching awards.

A new coaching initiative, The David Magill Coaching Awards have been set up by the Trust and the family of David Magill, who passed away in November 2021 aged 86. It aims to help young athletes take up coaching courses relevant to their chosen sport.

During his lifetime Belfast man David made a huge contribution and impact within the worlds of sport, business, local community, and volunteering. An all-round sports person, David Magill excelled in pole-vaulting and won the Irish Youth Championship in 1954.

His widow Joan, daughters Joanne and Denise and the wider family wanted to establish the David Magill Coaching Awards programme as a tribute to a much-loved husband, dad and grandfather.

Joan Magill, David’s widow explained: “As a young athlete in the 1950s David had little access to full-time coaches and proper facilities and had to think up unusual and creative ways to improve and develop.

"He did a lot of research, read books, discussed ideas with other sports people and even resorted to sending photos by post of himself in action to champion athletes seeking their feedback and advice on grip, technique, and training regimes.

“David was an admirer of Mary Peters who like him had to fight hard to access training and development opportunities and he would be thrilled that a coaching programme in his name will make a difference to current and future athletes throughout Northern Ireland.”