Medway Sports Awards

Medway Sport Hall of Fame

Medway Council recognises and honours the achievements of sporting individuals, who through their endeavours put Medway on the map, by inducting them to the Hall of Fame at the celebratory bi-annual Medway Sports Awards.

The criteria for people being considered are:

  • those from Medway or with a Medway connection whose achievements have put Medway on the map or who have made a significant impact in their sport
  • their sporting careers or the part of their career for which they are renowned has finished (for example, end of an international career)
  • their career will be assessed on both success achieved and longevity
  • success will be judged on achievements at senior level on the international stage during their career.

If you would like to put forward an individual for consideration for this award, email medwaysport@medway.gov.uk. Decisions will be made as part of the judging process prior to each Sports Awards.

Hall of Fame inductees

The Medway Sport Hall of Fame begun in 2014. The current inductees received their honours at previous Sports Awards, as well as being placed in a permanent visual Hall of Fame at Medway Park, our centre of sporting excellence.

2014

2016

2018

2022

More about the people

Andy Hessenthaler

Andy Hessenthaler joined Gillingham Football Club in 1996. He spent the next 10 years at the club as player and later player coach then manager. In his time he managed the club to its highest ever finish in the English Football League system and is widely regarded as a legend of the Kent club.

Brian Moore

Brian had an illustrious football commentary career. He was also a lifelong supporter of Gillingham F.C., and a director at the club for 7 years. A stand at the club's Priestfield Stadium has been named after him.

Liz McVeigh

Liz McVeigh is an Olympian, who rowed in the women's eight's at the World Championships in 1979 and finished fifth at the Olympic Games in 1980.

Paul Nihill MBE

Paul competed in the 50km event at the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympics, and won a silver medal in 1964.

In 1968 he suffered from the high altitude conditions of Mexico and collapsed at the 44th kilometre, which was his only defeat in 86 races between 1967 and 1970. After that he focused on the 20km distance, and won a European title in this event in 1969, followed by a bronze medal in 1971.

In July 1972 he set a world record in the 20km, but finished only sixth at the 1972 Olympics. He also competed in the 20km walk in the 1976 Olympics, before retiring the following year.

Charlotte Evans MBE

Charlotte Evans MBE is a British skier, sighted guide and Paralympian. She is from Chatham in Kent, and attended Rochester Grammar School and then MidKent College. She started skiing as a child at the Chatham Ski Centre, a dry ski slope, moving on to snow at the age of 14. At the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games, as a guide for visually impaired skier Kelly Gallagher, she won gold in the women's Super-G.

Ian John-Lewis

Ian John-Lewis – the first black British boxing referee to officiate a heavyweight world title fight. Ian started his career in boxing as an amateur and continued to have success as a professional boxer. After retiring from boxing, Ian became the youngest A Star referee at 37 for the British Boxing Board of Control and the WBC for refereeing some of the worlds best fights. This includes refereeing the oldest World Champion in history, Bernard ‘The Executioner’ Hopkins in Montreal.

Gary Smith

Chatham-born Olympian Gary Smith is a trampoline gymnast and former member of Jumpers Rebound Centre. He competed and finished seventh at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

In 2018, Gary was appointed as British Gymnastics National Coach for trampoline. He has just returned from the World Championships and is now working with athletes in preparation for their Olympic Games.

Isaac Newell

Born in 1853 in Strood, Isaac Newell became an inspiration for football in Argentina. Newell travelled to Rosario, Argentina at the age of 16 and graduated as an English teacher. He also founded the Anglo Argentine Commercial College with his wife, Anna. Isaac commissioned a leather ball from a local importer in order to teach football, and his students soon enjoyed playing football as part of the sporting life of the college.

In November 1903, Isaac’s former students - led by his son Claudio - founded Club Atlético Newell’s Old Boys, the name honouring the life and work of his father.

Throughout the history of the club there have been many famous faces that you might recognise, including Marcelo Bielsa, Mauricio Pochettino, Diego Maradona, and Lionel Messi. However Club Atlético Newell’s Old Boys is more than a football club. It provides opportunities for members to play a variety of sports within its facilities and educates the next generation of PE teachers within it’s own college. It also sees 42,000 spectators at every home match and many more around the world, instills key values in thousands of boys and girls through football coaching, and more importantly, shows how education and sport together can foster positive life experiences.