Winners of WSA Sports Industry Awards 2026 announced

The nine winning organisations at the WSA Sports Industry Awards 2026 were announced during an amazing evening of celebration on Thursday 4 June.

WSA members and other key stakeholders from the sport and physical activity sector gathered at the Parkgate Hotel in the heart of Cardiff, to recognise just some of the brilliant work carried out within the WSA membership base over the past year.

We were thrilled to welcome colleagues from an array of members and famous faces from the world of Welsh sport, as well as the newly appointed Minister for Culture and Sport, Heledd Fychan MS, and Shadow Cabinet Minister for Health, Prevention and Sport, James Evans MS.

Everyone was welcomed warmly once again by our host Lauren Salter, who gave way to WSA Sports Industry Awards 2026 Headline Sponsors Hodge Bakshi.

The room subsequently heard from the firm their work as Cardiff’s largest family firm of Chartered Accountants and Chartered Tax Advisers before WSA Chair Lynn Pamment CBE discussed the WSA’s dedication to fostering resilience and prosperity within the sport and physical activity sector as well as the progress of the Welsh Sports Foundation – for which money was raised throughout the night.

New Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport Heledd Fychan MS went on to address the WSA Sports Industry Awards 2026, outlining Welsh Government’s commitment to sport and physical activity, the importance sport plays in Welsh society, and the importance of collaboration in ensuring the sector thrives to make meaningful and long-lasting change in Welsh communities.

The first award followed, with Basketball Wales heading up to the stage to collect the award for Best Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, sponsored by Freedom2hear.

By combining sport with meaningful wellbeing support and strong community partnerships, their Genesis Project uses basketball as a powerful platform to support the mental and emotional wellbeing of young people from underrepresented and ethnically diverse communities.

Following this, Wales Golf were announced as the recipients of the award for Best Initiative to Promote Women in Sport & Physical Activity, sponsored by Howden.

The organisation has used the legacy from the AIG Women’s Open to increase interest and participation, encourage stronger community engagement and enhance visibility for women’s golf, with legacy investment enhancing female facilities on over 75% of courses in Wales as well as their Give Golf a Go campaign, working with elite female athletes from five other sports.

The third winner of the night was Bocsio Cymru, who received the Best Innovation Award, sponsored by Hugh James.

The organisation has used VR Adaptive Boxing to transform accessibility and participation in the sport, harnessing technology to remove barriers, broaden appeal, and create a more inclusive and future-focused sporting landscape.

The celebrations continued as the evening’s fourth award recipient was called up, Disability Sport Wales this time heading up to the stage to collect the award for Best Commitment to the Welsh Language, sponsored by Hodge Bakshi.

The Useful Phrases for Trilingual Coaching resource, developed by Disability Sport Wales, is an innovative and practical tool designed to transform communication in sport by making it truly inclusive.

By normalising the use of Welsh alongside English and BSL, the initiative not only strengthens the visibility of the Welsh language but also ensures that participants of all abilities feel included and understood.

Following break for food, Lauren Salter and the WSA’s Commercial Manager Tom Sharp then took to the stage to carry out the evening’s raffle prize draw. The WSA and the Welsh Sports Foundation would like to thank attendees for their generosity in raising money to support the WSF’s work of removing financial barriers to sport for young people in Wales.

As we got back to the awards themselves, it was the Football Association of Wales’ turn to go up on stage as they collected the award for Best Sustainability Initiative, sponsored by Floodlighting and Electrical.

The FAW Biodiversity, Nature & Wellbeing initiative showcases how football can be a powerful platform for environmental sustainability while also delivering community and wellbeing benefits, setting a strong example of how facilities can be repurposed to deliver both ecological and social impact, creating a sustainable legacy for future generations.

Subsequently, Dragons RFC were announced as an award winner for the third consecutive year, this time collecting the award for Best Social Impact Initiative, sponsored by Sportscover Europe.

Through a year-long programme, the Healthy Dragons Provision integrates physical activity, education and community engagement to promote healthier lifestyles and inspire young people.

Commonwealth Games Wales were next to be announced as an award winner, picking up Best Collaboration Initiative, sponsored by Sport:80.

The LeadHERship Programme is a pioneering collaboration between Commonwealth Games Wales, Cardiff Metropolitan University and RBC Brewin Dolphin, designed to address the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles across sport and business.

The penultimate award of the night was Most Influential Campaign, sponsored by Mentera, with Welsh Athletics picking it up for Own the Night.

The campaign is a nationally significant campaign to address a key barrier to participation for women: safety when exercising outdoors after dark. The campaign combines awareness raising, education and community activation to create safer environments and empower women to remain active throughout the year.

And the evening was eventually wrapped up when Glamorgan Cricket was named the WSA Sports Industry Awards 2026’s final award winner, receiving the award for Best Business Growth, sponsored by 2buy2.

The organisation has demonstrated exceptional business growth through its strategic management of the Welsh Fire franchise investment, positioning the organisation at the forefront of cricket’s evolving commercial landscape. The sale of a 50% stake in the franchise represents a landmark moment, significantly strengthening the club’s financial position and long-term sustainability, as well as its ability to invest in future growth, creating a more resilient and commercially sustainable organisation.

The WSA would like to congratulate all nine award winners, who are deservedly taking home these trophies in recognition of their vital, impactful work across the sector.

It is important to recognise the outstanding contributions of the other 18 shortlisted organisations and projects; applications were particularly strong this year, and the initiatives on show on Thursday exemplify the incredible, wide-ranging impact that WSA members are having in local communities, across regions, and on a national scale in Wales. Well done to all and thank you!

We would like to thank everyone who made the WSA Sports Industry Awards 2026 possible, from the once again excellent hospitality of the Parkgate Hotel to the tireless logistical support of Engage Sports, Genero and Harlequin, and of course the expert orchestration of Lauren Salter throughout the evening.

Thanks must also go to all of our award sponsors and the event’s Headline Sponsors Hodge Bakshi.

And of course thank you to all of our guests on the night; it was brilliant to see faces from across the sector involved in an array of different areas, as well as representation from the Senedd. We hope everyone had a brilliant evening.

And finally, we’d like to offer one more congratulations to all of our #WSAISA2026 winners – llongyfarchiadau!