The world’s most valuable literary sports-writing prize, the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, has donated the books from their 2022 entries to the men’s suicide prevention charity.
The nationwide Andy’s Man Club, which supports men going through a difficult time, was founded in 2016 by the family of Andrew Roberts, who took his own life. Now, there are over 100 clubs in the UK, holding weekly sessions at sports venues and others, so that men over the age of 18 can talk about their mental health. The charity has helped thousands of men through tough times in their lives.
A record 158 books were entered into this year’s Award, by diverse authors across a wide range of sports, including tennis, rugby, football and cycling. Donations included My Ryder Cup Journey by retired golfer Tony Jacklin, Don Revie: The Biography by Christopher Evans and The Beautiful Game and the Ugly Truth by rugby league footballer, Kieran Gill.
Neil Foggin, a judge on the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award: “This year, we received an unprecedented number of great entries from talented authors for our William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2022 Award, and instead of these sitting on our shelves, we wanted to give something back to our community.
Many people find comfort reading about the experiences and thoughts of others and we believe that books can have the power to be life changing. Andy’s Man Club is a fantastic charity that supports hundreds of men every week, and we hope that members can gain some comfort and inspiration from the range of great sports books that were nominated for this year’s William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.”
A spokesperson for Andy’s Man Club: “We are hugely grateful for the donation of a wide variety of books to our charity. We’re positive that these books will be well received by a number of our volunteers and group members who might find solace in the range of topics covered from this year’s entries. Thanks again to William Hill Sports Book of the Year for your generosity.”
Now in its 34th year, the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award is dedicated to rewarding excellence in sports writing and provides authors and publishers a platform to showcase and promote their books. The first William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award took place in 1989, earning it the title of the longest-established competition in the industry, and since launching, has attracted thousands of authors and publishers, including Nick Hornby, Marcus Trescothick and Brian Moore, as well as last year’s winner Michael Holding and three-time winner Duncan Hamilton.
The Award winner will be declared on 1st December 2022 during a ceremony at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, London. There is a £30,000 cash prize for the winner and the shortlisted authors will each receive £3,000 and a leather-bound copy of their book.
For more information about the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, including the authors who made the shortlist, please visit: https://news.williamhill.com/SBOTY/longlist
Photograph WHBOTY Book Donation. Neil Foggin, Reading Panellists, BOTY, and Lucas Whitehead, Andy’s Man Club.
