Nominees for WSA Sports Industry Awards 2026 revealed
The shortlisted organisations and projects for the WSA Sports Industry Awards 2026 were revealed on Monday 20 April.
A total of 27 initiatives and projects have been shortlisted, whittled down from a wealth of excellent applications once again.
The WSA was delighted with the quality and quantity of applications to this year’s Awards, as just under 100 entries were made – a new record for the event. The sport and leisure sector has once more demonstrated the collaborative, innovative, and crucial work that goes on behind the scenes.
The ceremony, which will take place on Thursday 4 June, will once again bring together stakeholders from across the sector to celebrate the brilliant work undertaken by WSA members.
This year, we’re thrilled to welcome a new Headline Sponsor for the event, Hodge Bakshi, an organisation that has grown in strength for over 40 years to become Cardiff’s largest family firm of Chartered Accountants and Chartered Tax Advisers.
We would like to thank Hodge Bakshi for their support, and are excited to have them join us as we celebrate the sport and leisure sector across nine categories, with the Best Business Growth Award featuring for the second time along with the other eight original award categories.
Nominations were carefully selected by an independent panel, joined by a special guest judge invited for their outstanding expertise in the relevant field.
Those shortlisted and in with a chance of earning an award are…
Best Initiative to Promote Women in Sport & Physical Activity, sponsored by Howden
- Cymru Football Foundation and Football Association of Wales, for the Environments For Her + WEURO 2025 Legacy
- Glamorgan Cricket, for Glamorgan Women: A Regional Blueprint for Professionalism and Participation
- Wales Golf, for The AIG Women’s Open Legacy
Most Influential Campaign, sponsored by Mentera
- Badminton Wales, for “Can You Manage?”
- Basketball Wales, for The Red Whistle Campaign: Protecting and Supporting Young Referees
- Welsh Athletics, for the Own The Night Campaign
Best Collaboration Initiative, sponsored by Sport:80
- Cardiff City FC Community Foundation, for Caerau Kicks
- Actif Sport & Leisure, for Youth Empowerment
- Commonwealth Games Wales, for Leadhership with Cardiff Metropolitan University and RBC Brewin Dolphin
Best Business Growth Award, sponsored by 2buy2
- Actif Sport & Leisure, for Business Growth in Llanelli Provision
- Glamorgan Cricket, for Capitalising on Welsh Fire Franchise Investment
- MyRounders, for Scaling Wales’ Social Sport Movement
Best Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, sponsored by Freedom2hear
- Basketball Wales, for the Basketball Wales and Guardian Ballers Partnership: The Genesis Project
- South Wales Pan Disability Football League
- Sport Diversity Cymru, for the Wales Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards (WEDSA) 2025
Best Innovation Award, sponsored by Hugh James
- Badminton Cymru, for their Child-Led Badminton Wales AGM
- Exist SkatePark and Cerebra (nominated by Disability Sport Wales), for the SkatePark Disability Skateboarding Project
- Welsh Boxing for VR Adaptive Boxing
Best Sustainability Initiative, sponsored by Floodlighting and Electrical
- Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of Wales, for the Environmental Adventure Initiative
- Football Association of Wales, for FAW Biodiversity, Nature & Wellbeing
- Wales Golf, for “A Place for Nature”
Best Social Impact Initiative, sponsored by Sportscover Europe
- Dragons RFC, for Norgine/Movicol: Healthy Dragons Provision
- Gwella, for Gwella Sport Development – Fit, Fed & Read
- Street Football Wales
Best Commitment to the Welsh Language, sponsored by Hodge Bakshi
- Disability Sport Wales, for Useful Phrases for Trilingual Coaching
- Triathlon Cymru, for Tri Dewi
- Wales Golf, for Golff Cymru – Ein Hymrwymiad i’n Hiaith
The WSA would like to congratulate each nominee, as well as every organisation that applied for the Awards. Each year we receive an array of such strong applications, really showing how much fantastic work goes on across the sector and how important a role sport plays for society in a multitude of facets.
Nominated organisations have early access to purchase a table for the Awards ceremony, while general sale will start on Monday 27th April.
To be shortlisted is a great achievement, and we look forward to celebrating these initiatives in June; good luck to all!
Don’t forget to shout about the Awards on social media, using #WSASIA2026
English