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An inspirational event was the verdict from our network after Women in Football held our annual Awards at the BBC recently.

Thanks to all of you who came along to celebrate the success of our award winners and also to hear the moving story of AFC Bournemouth photographer Sophie Cook and get work attire advice from Queen Bee.

We opened proceedings with the Inspiration of the Year award, won by the FA’s Pink Whistle ambassador, referee Lucy Oliver while The Guardian football writer and BBC pundit Amy Lawrence took the Journalist of the Year Award.

Lucy Oliver

Amy Lawrence

There was only one winner of our Club Best Practice Award - sadly Leicester City’s Chief Executive Susan Whelan couldn’t attend but sent us this lovely message

Susan Whelan

Coach of the Year went to Reading FC’s Kelly Chambers who kept her team in WSL1 and had a baby mid-season - perhaps we should have re-named this award Wonder Woman of the Year….

Kelly Chambers

Mary Harmer, is only one of four female County FA Referee Development Officers in England, and congratulations from the county of Suffolk flooded in for Mary as the Women in Football network voted her Referee of the Year.

Mary Harmer

On her way to Thailand for a well earned holiday Manchester City Women and England’s Lucy Bronze was the clear winner of our Player of the Year award and sent us this message.

Lucy Bronze

It was with sadness that we gave our Lifetime Achievement award posthumously to the incomparable Sylvia Gore, who died in September. Patricia Gregory, who in 1972, was at the very first official England international when Sylvia’s goal against Scotland went down in history as the first ever scored, accepted the award which we will donate to the National Football Museum where Sylvia is a Hall of Fame member.

Shelley Alexander with Pat Gregory

Scotland Women just had to win the Performance of the Year award with their wonderful achievement of reaching the Women’s European Championship, being held in Holland next year - the first time a Scotland team, either men or women has reached a major tournament in 18 years.

Hayley Lauder on the left and Jo Love on the right.

Our sponsor Barclays chose our Business Award winner and Amy O’Brien’s citation from the Fulham Foundation where she is Business Development Manager was hugely impressive

Amy O'Brien

Finally it was with great pleasure the Women in Football board awarded our Woman of the Year to Eva Carneiro - for her courage, her professionalism and her selfless devotion to upholding the Hippocratic oath in the face of an appalling year long ordeal for a wonderful woman who was only doing her job, the job she loved. We wish you all the best for the future Eva.

Sophie Cook with Eva Carneiro

Finally, a huge thank you to our host BBC, to our sponsor Barclays and Esmée Fairbairn, to Sophie Cook for sharing her story and to our contributor Queen Bee Styling (@Queenbeestyling).

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