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King’s Birthday Honours list 2023: The footballers, rugby players, cricketers and sports stars recognised this year
Sports stars from across the UK have been recognised in King Charles’ first Birthday Honours list.
Athletes, footballers, rugby players and cricketers are all included in the list which recognises hundreds of people for their contributions to society, community or their area of work.
Among those to receive an honour is ex-England rugby captainSarah Hunter who has become a CBE. Hunter won a record 141 caps and was part of the team which won the 2014 World Cup.
Former footballer and current TV pundit Ian Wright has become an OBE for services to football and charity.
READ: The celebrities and famous faces recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours list
Former UK Sport chief executive Liz Nicholl has been given a damehood. Nicholl, who led UK Sport during a period of unprecedented success for Great Britain in Olympic and Paralympic sport, said: “It has been a real privilege to serve in various roles in sport over the last 40-plus years, working alongside really talented colleagues, and I take huge delight in seeing the recent significant growth in opportunities for women and girls to enjoy participating in sport, both in the UK and internationally.”
John Greig, who made more than 700 appearances in a glittering club career for Rangers, has become a CBE and Leicester and Northern Ireland footballer Jonny Evans has been made an MBE. Referee Amy Fearn, who became the first woman to officiate a men’s EFL match, has been made an MBE.
Cricketers Lydia Greenway, Adil Rashid and Sam Curran have also been awards MBEs.
And Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid, who secured their 17th wheelchair tennis doubles grand slam title together earlier this month at the French Open, are also among the list and they have been made OBEs
Here is the full list of sportspeople who are getting honours in the 2023 list…
ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE, DAME (DBE)
- Liz Nicholl (CBE), World Netball president, for services to sport, Hitchin.
COMMANDERS OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (CBE)
- John Greig (MBE), for services to football and to the community in Scotland, Lenzie.
- Sarah Hunter (MBE), former England rugby union captain for services to rugby union, Loughborough.
ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (OBE)
- Anthony Atherton, for services to disability sport and inclusion, Dewsbury.
- Pippa Britton, lately vice-chair UK Anti-Doping and vice-chair Sport Wales, for services to sport, Newport.
- David Clarke, British Paralympic Association chief executive officer, for services to Paralympic sport, Harpenden.
- Jon Dutton, lately Rugby League World Cup chief executive officer (now British Cycling CEO), for services to rugby league, Leigh.
- Lydia Greenway, Cricket for Girls founder and former cricket player, for services to cricket, Loughborough.
- David Griffiths, for services to football in Wales, Maesteg.
- Tom Halliwell, England wheelchair rugby league captain, for services to rugby league, Leeds.
- Alfie Hewett, wheelchair tennis player, for services to tennis, Norwich.
- Chris Jenkins, lately Commonwealth Games Wales chief executive officer, for services to the Commonwealth Games and sport in Wales, Crickhowell.
- Gordon Reid (MBE), wheelchair tennis player, for services to tennis, Glasgow.
- Ian Wright (MBE), broadcaster and author, for services to football and charity, London.
MEMBER OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (MBE)
- Peter Allam, lately Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy chief executive, for services to sailing, Poole.
- Eniola Aluko, for services to football and charity, London.
- Sebastien Bechara, for services to wheelchair rugby league, abroad.
- Colin Bland, Sporting Chance chief executive officer, for services to sport, Nailsworth.
- Sara Cox, referee, for services to rugby union, Exeter.
- Tom Coyd, England wheelchair rugby league team coach, for services to rugby league, Gillingham.
- Sam Curran, for services to cricket, Egham.
- Dr Niall Elliott, sportscotland Institute of Sport head of sports medicine and British Olympic Association chief medical officer, for services to sport and exercise medicine, Dundee.
- Jonny Evans, for services to football in Northern Ireland, Altrincham.
- Amy Fearn, referee, for services to football, Swadlincote.
- Emma Fry (nee Bristow), for services to motor sports and women in sport, Alford.
- John Griffiths, British Canoeing coach, for services to canoeing and paddlesport, West Molesey.
- Ian Howard, World Triathlon vice-president, for services to triathlon, Hook.
- Katherine Hui, founder of Laces Community Club, for services to community football and to young women in east London, Liverpool.
- Sarah Javaid, founder of Cycle Sisters, for services to cycling and to the community in London, London.
- Dr Gareth Jones, for services to sport and exercise medicine in Wales, Carmarthen.
- Hannah Marshall, for services to lawn bowls, Falkirk.
- Maria McLoughlin, chair of British Gymnastics’ women’s artistic gymnastics technical committee, for services to gymnastics, Ashford.
- David Pond, lately Great Britain wheelchair rugby chief executive, for services to wheelchair rugby, Torpoint.
- Dr Jennifer Pugh, Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board chief medical officer, for services to horse racing in Northern Ireland, abroad.
- Adil Rashid, for services to cricket, Bradford.
- Ian Rodgers, athletics official, for services to athletics, Sheffield.
- Fallon Sherrock, for services to darts, Milton Keynes.
- Colin Shields, for services to ice hockey, Newtontards.
- James Simpson, for services to wheelchair rugby league, Leeds.
- Rosalind Slinger, Pony Club centre membership committee chair, for services to equestrian and charity, Preston.
- Non Stanford, for services to triathlon in Wales, Leeds.
- John Stevenson, Tennis Scotland volunteer, for services to lawn tennis, Paisley.
- Susan Taylor, British Amateur Rugby League Association chair and Rugby Football League vice-president, for services to rugby league, Huddersfield.
MEDAL OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (BEM)
- Richard Campbell, Arbroath manager, for services to football and to the community in Angus, Lochgelly.
- Rebecca Edwards, for services to rowing, Caledon.
- Ken Elliot, volunteer, for services to table tennis, Doncaster.
- John Griffiths, Swansea Harriers Athletics Club coach, for services to athletics in Wales, Swansea.
- Kay Grimshaw, swimming coach, for services to swimming in the London borough of Lewisham, London.
- Lindsay Hedmann, trampolining coach, for services to trampolining, Warlingham.
- Gary Howes, for services to table tennis to young people and to the community in Tonbridge Wells, Tonbridge Wells.
- Sian Johnson, for services to squash in Wales, Cardiff.
- Sandra Jones, badminton coach, for services to badminton and the community in Dorset, Christchurch.
- Tony Kingston, scorer, for services to cricket, Northampton.
- Stuart Langworthy, England over 60s walking football team manager, for services to football and walking football, Gloucester.
- Tony McAllister, football coach, for services to football and young people in Manchester, Manchester.
- Lynne Morgan, Ashford Middlesex Hockey Club president, for services to hockey, Shepperton.
- Ron Richards, South West Volleyball Association secretary, for services to volleyball and to the community in South West England, Bristol.
- Lucy Shuker, Paralympics wheelchair tennis player, for services to sport, Wimborne.
- Bryan Smith, coach, for services to athletics, Watford.
- George Stables, boxing coach and official, for services to amateur boxing in Devon, Plymouth.
- Frank Stevens, for voluntary services to swimming in Northern Ireland, Belfast.
- Eleanor Walsh, swimming coach, for services to swimming and to the community in Cockermouth, Cockermouth.
- Mildred Wiltshire, British Motorsport chief marshal co-ordinator, for services to motor sport, London.
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