Western Australia’s top sports stars recognised at Perth's Optus Stadium

Western Australia’s most outstanding sporting personalities have been recognised at this year’s SportWest Awards ceremony held at Perth’s Optus Stadium last night.

More than 170 nominations were received across nine categories for the award with sport administrators recognised for the first time at the event with a dedicated category to acknowledge their hard work and dedication to community sport.

Among the key awards, Tokyo Paralympian dual gold medallist Madison de Rozario took out the title of 2021 WA Sports Star at the ceremony while WA Cricket Chief Executive Christina Matthews won the inaugural DLGSC Sports Administrator of the Year award.

Matthews was recognised for helping create equal opportunities for participants to benefit from involvement in cricket. These programs focused on Aboriginal cricketers, people with a disability, young women in cricket and creating an inclusive community hub at the WACA Ground.

Over the past year, donations to the WA Cricket Foundation, spearheaded by Matthews, have ensured hundreds of young women in cricket get the support and development opportunities that were not previously accessible to them.

Furthermore, WA Cricket has witnessed a huge growth in the number of people participating in its Aboriginal programs in the past 12 months, with participation in Foundation programs numbers doubling.

SportWest, supported by the Western Australian Government through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC), hosts the awards to recognise excellence in sport and celebrate the achievements of WA sportspeople.

Western Australian Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman presented the awards, noting "it is an honour to be celebrating and honouring our highest sporting achievers, along with those who have played such a pivotal role in all aspects of sports administration and development at this magnificent stadium.

"Congratulations to all the finalists - you are a reminder of the range of sports in which Western Australians have excelled, along with the wonderful prospects of our young athletes and those who support their development."

The SportWest Awards began in 1956 with 80 athletes from 21 sports having been recognised as WA's Sports Star.

WA SportWest 2021 Award Winners
2021 WA Sports Star
Madison de Rozario OAM

Rebel Junior Sports Star
Teague Wyllie (cricket) and Erin Classen (squash)

Channel 7 Perth Team of the Year
Perth Scorchers WBBL (cricket)

KPMG Coach of the Year
Ritchie Smith (golf)

Official of the Year
Peter Wright (hockey)

DLGSC Sports Administrator of the Year
Christina Matthews (cricket)

Service to Sport - May Campbell Medal
Robert Schickert (athletics), Alida Scott (gymnastics), John Sewell (volleyball)

RevolutioniseSPORT Community Club of the Year - John Gilmour Medal
Northampton Football Club (Australian rules football)

Healthway Healthy Club Award
Perth Broncos American Football Club

Image: WA Cricket Chief Executive Christina Matthews, winner of the inaugural DLGSC Sports Administrator of the Year award (top), 2021 WA Sports Star Madison de Rozario OAM anf the 2021 WA Sports Star (middle) and the Northampton Football Club (below). All images credit: SportWest.