In 2026, East Midlands Netball will celebrate both our Regional ONE Awards and England Netball’s Centenary Year at a special combined event — the East Midlands Centenary Celebration ft. the ONE Awards, taking place on Saturday 4 July 2026 at Derbyshire County Cricket Club.
On the day we’ll be celebrating our ONE Awards nominees, spotlighting the amazing people from East Midlands' five counties who make netball happen, through varying roles like officiating, coaching, administration, supporting school netball activity, clubs and local leagues, or helping drive inclusion and reaching new audiences in netball.
ONE Awards nominations are now open! The link to nominate your ONE can be found here. Further details on the nomination process is below and on England Netball's Knowledge Centre.
The 2026 Regional ONE Awards
Nominations open on Tuesday 31 March for the 2026 Regional Centenary ONE Awards and close on Thursday 30 April.
For 2026, there are four main categories* and a simplified nominations process based on your feedback:
- Special Recognition Award – recognises long-term impact, legacy and meaningful influence on the sport
- Rising Star Award – recognises emerging leaders making consistent, selfless contributions
- Outstanding Contribution Award – recognises individuals who go significantly above expectations
- Thriving Collective Award – recognises collaborative projects with strong shared impact
*and four East Midlands specific awards which are highlighted on the nomination form
There are nine regional ONE Awards 2026 celebrations taking place across the country, celebrating nominees and culminating in the ONE Awards national event. The winners from each of these categories will be invited to attend local celebrations in June and July.
Following these celebrations, winners from each category across the nine regions will be reviewed by a national panel and invited to a national event that will take place in autumn 2026.
Nominees must be an individual member of England Netball for all awards apart from the Inclusion Award. Nominees for the Young Volunteer or Teacher Award must be volunteering for an educational environment or organisation that is a member of England Netball or have individual membership to England Netball.
Nominations Deadline
Top Tips for Completing a Form
- Stay inside the goal circle – connect clearly to the criteria.
- Choose your position – pick the category that best matches your nominee.
- Keep your passes clean – focus on the key information that really matters.
- Let the play speak – use strong, specific examples to show impact.
- Stick to the scoreboard – focus on facts, outcomes, and real achievements.
- Use your court time wisely – make every word count.
- Don’t risk a held ball – start early and gather insights from teammates.
- And remember: one brilliant, well‑crafted nomination will score far more than several short, rushed ones.
East Midlands Additional Awards and Criteria:
East Midlands Jean Bourne Back to Netball Award
The Jean Bourne Back to Netball Award is presented to a Back to Netball participant from the East Midlands whose personal life style has changed significantly since coming back to netball.
The Award honours Jean who died in 2014 and was a valuable volunteer within the Region. Jean was Chair of Nottinghamshire, Chair of East Midlands and from 1994 to 2000, President of England Netball. Jean was also a Panel (A Award) umpire and Nottinghamshire coach and was passionate about netball and grassroots netball supporting and attending Regional events long after her retirement.
To be eligible, nominees must have taken part in an East Midlands Back to Netball session and have completed an England Netball Back to Netball Participant Registration Form. Nominations should be able to demonstrate how Back to Netball has impacted in a particularly positive way on the Back to Netballer’s personal lifestyle and has done or achieved something special for their group. (This could be organising social events, completing an officiating course or looking after kit etc.)
All nominations should be seconded by a Back to Netball Coach or by an England Netball Development Officer/Community Coach.
East Midlands Jean Perkins Walking Netball Award
The Jean Perkins Walking Netball Award is presented to a Walking Netball participant from the East Midlands whose personal lifestyle has changed significantly since coming to the Walking Netball sessions.
Jean Perkins OBE, who died in 2017 was a dedicated volunteer who had many roles within the Region. A Panel (A Award) umpire and tutor, a coach tutor and assessor and Chair of East Midlands Netball, Jean worked hard for inclusion within our sport and formed the first netball club in the region for ladies with a learning disability.
To be eligible, nominees must have taken part in an East Midlands Walking Netball session and have completed an England Netball Participant Registration Form. Nominations should be able to demonstrate how Walking Netball has impacted in a particularly positive way on the walking Netballer’s personal lifestyle as well as showing their passion, support and dedication to their group. (This could be organising social events, becoming a WN Host, organising special tops/T-shirts etc.) All nominations should be seconded by a Walking Netball Host or by an England Netball Development Officer/Community Coach.
East Midlands Jean Staley Award
This award was initiated in memory of Jean Staley, who was tragically killed in November 1987, aged 38. Jean’s main attributes were her efficiency in administration, commitment to playing and umpiring within her Club, County and Region as well as an overall dedication to netball in whatever role.
With this in mind, nominees should fulfill the following criteria:
The Nominee should have been involved at Club, County and Region in one or more of the following roles: Administration, Umpire or Coach. It should be stressed that the emphasis is on work done at ALL levels (although not necessarily the same discipline).
East Midlands Long Service Award
The East Midlands Long Service Award is approved by the East Midlands Regional Management Board for any registered participant or member of an affiliated school who has given service to the region (not club or county) for at least 10 years (this need not be consecutive) within any capacity i.e., Player, Umpire, Coach, Administrator, Volunteer, Table Official etc.
2025 One Awards winners:
- Coach of the Year – Children & Young People – Rebecca Bowen
- Coach of the Year - Adults - Karen Cresswell
- Community Official of the Year (in honour of Sheelagh Redpath) – Pam Weatherby
- Outstanding Contribution of the Year (in memory of Mary Bulloch) – Claire Bowen
- Pioneer of the Year (in memory of Muriel McNally) – Carla Garey, Angela Stevens and Jenni Sawyer at Ashby NC
- Unsung Hero of the Year (in a Club or League) – Angela Stevens
- Club of the Year - Ashby Netball Club
- Young Volunteer of the Year – Molly Bowen
- Inclusion Award – Linda Ryan
- East Midlands Jean Perkins Walking Netball Award – Joy Williams
- East Midlands Jean Staley Award – Sarah Hollidge
- East Midlands Lifetime Achievement Award - Pauline Shipman
