Earlier this month, the Official Shortlist was revealed, so without further ado we take a look at the entries across the board.

EFL - Sky Bet Playoffs

EFL clubs have faced their most challenging years, with a host of financial pressures caused by the pandemic and with matches being played behind closed doors. 

Clubs faced huge losses in gate receipts alone and just to reach the end of the season with all 72 Clubs was a success, but to then deliver three world-class play-off finals in front of supporters was nothing short of a miracle.

As Wembley welcomed over 32,000 supporters, millions of people tuned in from over 170 territories across the globe to watch the unique spectacle of the Sky Bet Play Off Finals.

The Tour of Britain

The 2021 Tour of Britain travelled the length of Britain, from Penzance to Aberdeen, with first visits to Cornwall and Aberdeenshire and was a huge opportunity to showcase Britain was open, on the back of a crippling pandemic and the knock-on effects of Brexit.

A huge challenge, but one that was delivered on. The Tour attracted more than a million spectators to the roadside across the eight stages, offering free to attend tickets to the community and generating a net economic impact of £29.95m for the UK economy. 

Fittingly, it was won by Belgian superstar Wout van Aert, acclaimed as a generational talent and rider of the 2021 season, with a victory decided by six seconds on the finish line in Aberdeen. A hugely impressive comeback for the sport of cycling. 

The Hundred

When The Hundred was first announced, some questioned its necessity. A brand-new format for cricket, with the removal of overs and existing county teams, and the introduction of an all-new sporting proposition. By the time the last ball was bowled on the first game, however, that sentiment had certainly shifted.

This summer’s inaugural season delivered 35 days of world-class sport and entertainment. Packed stadiums across England and Wales witnessed some of the best men’s and women’s players competing on an equal platform, with an exciting, innovative event presentation programme full of family-friendly engagement, live music, and digital activations tailored to the local audience. It was cricket like never before.

510,000 tickets were issued, with record-breaking attendances for the women’s game, and over 16 million people watching on TV.

The positive reaction from the public, players, media and even long-term sceptics, has cemented The Hundred’s place in the summer sporting calendar.

BLAST Premier Fall Final 2021

After 20 months of remote and online only esports events due to the on-going pandemic, fans had been crying out for in person interaction and entertainment.

At the end of November, Denmark welcomed back crowds and in person esports arena events for the first time in two years.

The result, a record 25,000 fans across three days of action packed Counter-Strike in Copenhagen’s iconic Royal Arena venue.

UK-based company BLAST hosted eight of the world’s biggest esports organisations and their brightest stars to fight it out over five days - with a combined prize pool of $425,000 on the line along with the crown of the world’s greatest CS:GO team.

The BLAST Premier Fall Final was much more than an esports event, though. It came to embody a celebration and festival of entertainment, emotion and uniting people at a time when it was needed most.

Wimbledon - The Championships 2021

Ahead of the start of The Championships 2021, it had been over 700 days since a professional tennis match took place at Wimbledon. 

What Wimbledon 2021 would look like remained a constant uncertainty, particularly when ‘Freedom Day’ was postponed, and organisers jostled with Government up to the Eleventh Hour.

But on 28 June 2021 Wimbledon welcomed players from around the world back to the courts, and spectators back to the stands. 

It was so reassuringly familiar, a reminder of a normal summer, and an event that provided a platform to say thank you, while simultaneously delivering much needed income to the world’s tennis players, and to British tennis. 
—

Good luck to all those on the Official Shortlist, and see you on Thursday 12th May!