26 March 2025 | Tennis Victoria

Finalists for the 18 categories at the 2024 Victorian Sport Awards (VSAs) have been announced, an event that recognises and celebrates the achievements of our home-grown sporting heroes at both a grassroots and high-performance level.

A record 330 nominations were received from the Victorian sporting community, honouring those who have made an exceptional contribution to sport and recreation in Victoria during the previous calendar year.

Individual and team athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, administrators, media personnel and the initiatives that promoted participation from both metropolitan and regional areas were acknowledged. Additionally, the elite sportspeople who shone at events such as the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics were also considered.

In order to select the finalists and eventual winners from these nominations, 45 highly qualified people from the Victorian sport and recreation industry were invited to constitute this year’s judging panels.

Judges included four-time Olympian Steve Moneghetti AM OLY, General Manager of High Performance & Pathways at Netball Victoria Sharelle McMahon, Australian 110m Hurdles record holder Kyle Van Der Kuyp as well as CEOs from Girls Sport Victoria (Michelle Barry), Swimming Victoria (Jason Hellwig), Softball Australia (Sarah Loh), Calisthenics Victoria (Jennifer McIntyre), Netball Victoria (Andrea Pearman), Disability Sports Australia (Ayden Shaw), Bowls Victoria (Tony Sherwill) and Hockey Victoria (Andrew Skillern).

Presented by the State Government of Victoria and Vicsport, the VSAs will be held on Wednesday 14 May 2025, in the Members Dining Room at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

In addition to the 18 awards nominated by the Victorian sporting community, the most prestigious honour of the night, the State Government Outstanding Contribution to Victorian Sport Award, will be bestowed to an individual for their lifelong commitment to sport in Victoria.

Vicsport Chair Jason Hellwig says: “It is a wonderful achievement and a credit to the Victorian sporting industry that the nominations records was shattered this year. Combined with the calibre of the nominations, these Awards are a true showcase of the successes throughout the Victorian sport and active recreation community.“I thank all the judges who took on the challenging but rewarding task of deciding this year’s finalists and winners and I look forward to honouring those recipients at the 2024 Victorian Sport Awards in May.”

Also speaking on the occasion, Tennis Victoria CEO Kim Kachel says: “We are incredibly proud to see four outstanding members of the Victorian tennis community recognised at the 2024 Victorian Sport Awards. Their dedication, passion, and contributions to our sport—whether on the court or off court—are truly inspiring. We congratulate John Peers, Glenn Busby, Matthew Quick, and Louise Thornton on this well-deserved achievement and look forward to celebrating their success.  They have all achieved incredible things and it was a truly unique year with John capturing the hearts and minds of Australia in winning the gold medal in Paris.”

Tennis Victoria is proud to celebrate the achievements of four outstanding Victorians who have been named as finalists at the 2024 Victorian Sport Awards.

John Peers – Frank Wilkes Award

The highlight of John’s professional year in 2024 was his selection for the Paris Australian Olympic team and going on to win the Gold Medal in the Men’s Doubles with Matt Ebden. Peers/Ebden also made the final of Eastbourne. He won the Nottingham 2 Challenger 125 with Brit Marcus Wills. John also had finals appearances at Asatan 250 and Houston 250 and he made second round at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon all with various partners.

Glenn Busby – Masters Athlete of the Year

The Number 1 player on the Men’s 65+ ITF World Tennis Masters Tour Rankings, Glenn continues his standout form on the Masters tour. He won the MT700 Gold Coast, the MT1000 Hobart, the MT1000 Mallorca and the 65+ World Individual Championships in both October 2023 on clay in Spain and March 2024 on carpet in Türkiye. Glenn lead the Australian team to a second consecutive title at the 2024 ITF Masters World Team Championships, winning the Britannia Cup.

Matthew Quick – Official of the Year

Matthew has demonstrated outstanding professionalism and dedication to tennis officiating in Victoria. As an ITF White Badge Chair Umpire since 2022, he has showcased exceptional skill, knowledge, and attitude, making a significant impact on the officiating community. His commitment and leadership serve as an inspiration to fellow tennis officials.

Louise Thornton – Volunteer of the Year

Louise has been an active member of Yackandandah Tennis Club for 8 years, her strong devotion to both her community and the club is apparent in her efforts to increase junior and female participation through Community Play Hot Shots and Cardio Tennis.

We congratulate all four Victorian tennis finalists on this well-deserved recognition and look forward to celebrating their achievements at the awards night.

 

Full list of finalists:

Leasexpress Coach of the Year

• Ian Ewing – Bowls
• Gerard Murphy – Netball
• Prateeti Sabhlok – Artistic Swimming
• Jimmy Soufis – Futsal

Gallagher Community Coach of the Year

• Samantha Batty – Sailing
• Madelaine Braekspear – Football
• Connor Drysdale – Netball
• Tim Watson – Life Saving

Sports Accounting Australia Official of the Year

• Joshua Burt – Hockey
• Alan Hopkins – Table Tennis
• Matthew Quick – Tennis
• Cynthia Tam – Badminton

etrainu Community Official of the Year

• Peter Boulter – Cricket
• Stephen McLennan – Athletics
• Sarah Pinkerton – Life Saving
• Liam Smith – Life Saving

AFL SportsReady Young Team of the Year

• Henri and Miles Levenspiel – Sailing
• Joshua Garner and Jack Benyan – Sailing
• Tri-Series Team – Swimming
• U14 Boys Casey Cavaliers – Basketball

AED Authority Team of the Year

• Queen’s Cup Crew – Rowing
• U18 Victorian Baseball Team – Baseball
• Victorian Intellectual Disability Team – Cricket
• Victorian ISSF State Team – Target Pistol Shooting

My Sport Live Community Sporting Event of the Year

• Junior State Championships – Hockey Victoria
• National Sports Tournament – Queer Sporting Alliance
• Statewide Senior Football Netball Carnival – VACSAL
• Victorian Cup of Nations – Football Victoria

Love the Game Community Sporting Club of the Year

• Bendigo Hawks Aquatic – Swimming
• Fitzroy Lions Soccer Club – Football
• Rise Netball Club – Netball
• Sorrento Cricket Club – Cricket

revolutioniseSPORT Victorian Sports Administrator of the Year – Eunice Gill Award

• Meaghan Densley – Sailing
• Scott McNaughton – Rugby League
• Natalie Pafralis – Football/Futsal
• Sarah Simpson – Basketball

Bunnings Trade Local Government Initiative of the Year

• Active Holidays – Wyndham City Council
• Active Kinders – Wyndham City Council
• GO Family – Maribyrnong City Council
• Water Safety with Derrimut Weelam Gathering Place – City of Kingston

Vicsport Volunteer of the Year

• Samantha Dwyer – Life Saving
• Kelly Godfrey – Hockey
• David Kearsley – Little Athletics
• Louise Thornton – Tennis

VicHealth Sport and Active Recreation Initiative of the Year

• CaliStars – Calisthenics Victoria
• Junior West Softball League – Softball
• Specialist Hoops Victoria – Basketball
• Victorian International Optimist Dinghy Association – Sailing

Involve Masters Athlete of the Year

• Ashley Braszell – Cycling
• Glenn Busby – Tennis
• Nadene Gole – Golf
• Cindy Rella – Kettlebell

rebel Young Athlete of the Year

• Brock Batty – Trampolining
• Tahlia Denham – Basketball, Cricket, Netball
• Jack Howell – Para-triathlon
• Joshua Jolly – BMX

Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme Outstanding Media Coverage of Sport Award

• Leah Keh – Sailing
• Ocean Racing Club of Victoria – Sailing
• Victorian Age Short Course Championships – Swimming
• Victorian Institute of Sport’s ‘The Moment’ Series – various

Polytan Peter Norman Inclusion Award

• Big Issue Community Street Soccer – Football
• Inclusive Sports Training – Triathlon
• June Bamblett – Basketball, Football, Netball
• Pride Hub – Proud 2 Play

Frank Wilkes Award

• Scotty James – Snowboarding
• Kelland O’Brien – Cycling
• John Peers – Tennis
• Sam Williamson – Swimming

Kitty McEwan Award

• Jakara Anthony – Mogul Skiing
• Grace Brown – Cycling
• Emily Petricola – Para-cycling
• Qian Yang – Para-table tennis

Event details:
Wednesday 14 May, 2025
6pm – 9.30pm
Members Dining Room
Melbourne Cricket Ground

Tickets are now on sale until 2 May.