The Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards is a major annual promotion for sports writing and publishing. The awards exist to highlight the most outstanding sports books of the previous calendar year, showcasing their merits and enhancing their reputation and profile.
The shortlists for the Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards 2025 have been announced this morning, with nominations featuring some of the greatest sports men and women in a diverse collection of works across 12 award categories. Shortlistees include: Sir Chris Hoy, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Jimmy Anderson, Steph Houghton, Jonnie Peacock, Kevin Sinfield, Rob Burrow, Sky Brown, Iwan Thomas, Azeem Rafiq, Sir Trevor McDonald, Gail Emms, Susie Chan, Andrew 'Beef' Johnston, Ally McCoist, Guenther Steiner, Brian Lara, Samuel Whitelock, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Glenn Maxwell, Jeff Stelling, Mike Tindall, James Haskell, Steve Bunce, David Pleat, Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock, Danny Care, Dan Biggar and Johnny Sexton.
Jimmy Anderson, England and Lancashire's leading wicket-taker of all time, will feature in the Sports Autobiography of the Year shortlist, alongside Sir Chris Hoy, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Steph Houghton, Iwan Thomas, David Pleat, Neil Ruddock and the posthumous biopic of Francis Lee. When reflecting on the shortlisting, he said:
“I’m delighted to be nominated in the Best Autobiography category alongside some real sporting greats, and I would like to thank Felix White, my family and my friends for helping to make my journey so unforgettable and my book such a success.”
Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, commented on her nomination, saying:
“It is an honour to be shortlisted for Best Autobiography at the Sports Book Awards 2025 alongside so many great personalities. Writing this book was a deeply personal journey; reflecting on the highs, lows, and everything in between. To have my story recognised in this way means so much, and I would like to thank Sarah Shepard and the team at Pan Macmillan for bringing this to life in a way that I am very proud of, and hope others will enjoy.”
Mark Pougatch, ITV Sport's popular presenter who will host the Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards for the 4th time, said:
"As ever, it's a wonderful shortlist for 2025, and I'm really looking forward to hosting the awards again and announcing our winners on 1st May at the Kia Oval. It's also been a real pleasure to be part of the judging panel for the Best Sports Writing category."
The winners will be announced at the Kia Oval on 1st May, with the awards ceremony to be hosted for the fourth year in a row by Mark Pougatch. The Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards are judged by an exceptional academy, which includes the Rugby Union Writers’ Club, the National Literacy Trust, Christine Ohuruogu – 400m Olympic Gold medallist, Mark Chapman – the recently appointed Match of the Day host, Guillem Balagué – La Liga and BBC football correspondent, Emma Paton – sports broadcaster with Sky Sports and the BBC, Jill Douglas, Simon Brotherton, Amy Williams – Olympic skeleton Gold medallist at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Sue Anstiss, Simon Halliday – former Bath and England centre, Annie Vernon – Beijing Olympic rowing silver medallist, Sir Tim Rice, Miles Jupp, Rory Kinnear, Scott Minto, and Mark Pougatch.
In addition, a public vote is now open in three categories: The Charles Tyrwhitt Autobiography of the Year, Kicking Goat Sports Entertainment Book of the Year and Sports Performance Book of the Year. Votes can be placed here: sportsbookawards.com/vote.
We are delighted to have Charles Tyrwhitt as the headline sponsor of the awards for the second year. Charles Tyrwhitt is a distinguished British clothing brand, renowned for its high-quality, timeless style.
Joe Irons Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Charles Tyrwhitt comments:
“We’re proud to be back as sponsors of the 2025 Sports Book Awards. As a menswear brand with deep roots in the world of sport through our partnerships with England Rugby, Fulham FC, the New York Jets, and most recently, the NY Yankees and The British & Irish Lions - this event is one we’re especially excited to support.
Sports books have a great way of capturing the highs and lows that define the games we love – and this year’s lineup is very competitive. We can’t wait to see which stories take home an award and look forward to celebrating with the writers.”
The 2025 award categories are the Charles Tyrwhitt Autobiography of the Year, in association with The Sunday Times, The Vikki Orvice Award for Women’s Sports Writing, in association with LoveReading, Children’s Sports Book of the Year, supported by National Literacy Trust & Waterstones, Cricket Book of the Year, Football Book of the Year, Golf Book of the Year, The JP Marland Charitable Trust Illustrated Book of the Year, Francis Clark Financial Planning International Sports Book of the Year, Charles Tyrwhitt Rugby Book of the Year, in association with the Rugby Union Writers' Club, Kicking Goat Sports Entertainment Book of the Year, Sports Performance Book of the Year, and Pinsent Masons Sports Writing Award.
Roddy Bloomfield, widely regarded as the doyen of British sports publishing, will be honoured with a Special Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards. With an unparalleled career spanning decades, Bloomfield has made a significant impact on the sports publishing world, shaping the landscape of British sports literature. His dedication to showcasing the triumphs and challenges of athletes, combined with his expertise and passion for the field, has earned him the respect and admiration of the industry. The award recognises his outstanding contributions to sports publishing and his enduring legacy in promoting sports storytelling at the highest level.
Sports Book Awards Chairman, David Willis, reflecting on another exciting year in sports publishing, said:
“We are thrilled to be announcing the exceptional winners for 2025 at the Kia Oval and are particularly delighted to present a Special Lifetime Achievement Award to Roddy Bloomfield. A dear friend of the Sports Book Awards and Sir Alex Ferguson. Roddy is the publisher of over 1,000 titles spanning 66 sports, Roddy has made an indelible mark on the world of sports literature. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to him on this well-deserved recognition from everyone at the Sports Book Awards!”
Charles Tyrwhitt Autobiography of the Year, in association with The Sunday Times
All That Matters, Sir Chris Hoy with Matt Majendie (Hodder & Stoughton)
Brutal: My Autobiography, Iwan Thomas (Bloomsbury Sport)
Finding the Edge: The Autobiography, Jimmy Anderson with Felix White (Blink Publishing)
Just One More Goal: The Autobiography of David Pleat, David Pleat (Biteback Publishing)
Leading From The Back: My journey to the top of women's football, Steph Houghton (Sphere)
Toxic: Tackling 'Razor' and Finding the Real Me, Neil Ruddock with John Woodhouse (Headline)
Triumphs, Treachery and Toilet Rolls: The Francis Lee Autobiography, Bill Bradshaw (Pitch Publishing)
Unbroken, Katarina Johnson-Thompson with Sarah Shepherd (Pan Macmillan)
The Vikki Orvice Award for Women’s Sports Writing, in association with LoveReading
La Vie Jamais Racontée: Alice Milliat, a French Heroine and Sporting Suffragette, Nancy Gillen (Pitch Publishing)
My Beautiful Sisters: A Story of Courage, Hope and the Afghan Women’s Football Team, Khalida Popal (John Murray)
Potholes and Pavements: A Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network, Laura Laker (Bloomsbury Sport)
Swimming Pretty: The Untold Story of Women in Water, Vicki Valosik (Liveright)
The Lost Lionesses: The incredible story of England’s forgotten trailblazers, Gail Emms (Cassell)
Warming Up: How Climate Change is Changing Sport, Madeleine Orr (Bloomsbury Sigma)
Pinsent Masons Sports Writing Award
More Than a Game: A History of How Sport Made Britain, David Horspool (John Murray)
Munichs, David Peace (Faber & Faber)
States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football, Miguel Delaney (Seven Dials)
The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Made F1 the World's Fastest-Growing Sport, Joshua Robinson & Jonathan Clegg (Monoray)
The Striker and the Clock, Georgia Cloepfil (Bloomsbury Circus)
These Heavy Black Bones, Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell (Canongate Books)
Children’s Sports Book of the Year, supported by National Literacy Trust & Waterstones
Bobby Bains Plays a Blinder, Bali Rai & Illustrated by Daniel Duncan (Barrington Stoke)
Fantastically Great Women Sports Stars and their Stories, Kate Pankhurst (Bloomsbury Children's Books)
Football Is For Everyone, Rico Hinson-King & Illustrated by Nick Sharratt (Bloomsbury Children's Books)
Lottie the Little Wonder, Katherine Woodfine & Illustrated by Ella Okstad (Barrington Stoke)
Me and Aaron Ramsey, Manon Steffan Ros (Firefly Press)
The Life-Changing Magic of Skateboarding, Sky Brown & Illustrated by Shaw Davidson (Magic Cat Publishing)
Try, Rob Burrow & Kevin Sinfield with Emma Adams & Illustrated by Ben Whitehouse (Macmillan Children's Books)
You Can Do Anything!, Jonnie Peacock with Laura Earnshaw & Illustrated by Ashwin Chacko (Bloomsbury Children's Books)
Cricket Book of the Year
Bill Edrich: The Many Lives of England's Cricket Great, Leo McKinstry (Bloomsbury Sport)
Getting Out: The Ukrainian Cricket Team's Last Stand on the Front Lines of War, Jonathan Campion (Pitch Publishing)
It's Not Banter, It's Racism: What Cricket’s Dirty Secret Reveals About Our Society, Azeem Rafiq (Trapeze)
LARA: The England Chronicles, Brian Lara with Phil Walker (Fairfield Books)
On Cricket, Sir Trevor McDonald (Renegade Books)
Richie Benaud's Blue Suede Shoes: The Story of an Ashes Classic, David Kynaston & Harry Ricketts (Bloomsbury Publishing)
Football Book of the Year
Extra Time Beckons, Penalties Loom: How to Use (and Abuse) The Language of Football, Adam Hurrey (Headline)
Go To War: Football on the Brink in the '80s, Jon Spurling (Biteback Publishing)
How to Win the Premier League: The Inside Story of Football’s Data Revolution, Ian Graham (Century)
I Can't Stop Thinking About VAR, Daisy Christodoulou (Swift Press)
Jürgen Said to Me: Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool and the Remaking of a City, Dan Morgan (Pitch Publishing)
Namaste, Geezer: Life as a Fan and Journalist of Asian Heritage, Shekhar Bhatia (Pitch Publishing)
States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football, Miguel Delaney (Seven Dials)
The Striker and the Clock, Georgia Cloepfil (Bloomsbury Circus)
Golf Book of the Year
Golf Is Hard, Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston (HarperCollins)
Golf Wars: LIV and Golf's Bitter Battle for Power and Identity, Iain Carter (Bloomsbury Sport)
LIV and Let Die, Alan Shipnuck (Simon & Schuster UK)
Open Links, Dominic Holland (Two Putt Books)
Seve Ballesteros's Touch of Class: The 1984 Open Championship and the Meaning of Europe's Greatest Golfer, Kenny Reid (Pitch Publishing)
The Tiger Slam: The inside story of the greatest golf ever played, Kevin Cook (Ebury Spotlight)
The JP Marland Charitable Trust Illustrated Book of the Year
Admiral: 50 Years of the Replica Shirt, Rob MacDonald, Adam Bushby & Lee Nash with contributions from John Devlin, Theo Hamburger & Admiral Sports (Halcyon Publishing)
All To Play For: ITFC THE GEORGE BURLEY ERA 1994-2002, Neil Prentice with George Burley (Jacob Bailey Limited)
Black Arsenal, Clive Chijioke Nwonka & Matthew Harle (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
Blue Is The Colour: The Official History of the Chelsea Shirt, Nik Yeomans (Vision Sports Publishing)
Cup Tied: Stories and Scenes from the 150th Scottish Cup, Daniel Gray & Alan McCredie (BackPage Press & Nutmeg)
One Shilling: The Football Programme Design Revolution of 1965-85, Matthew Caldwell & Alan Dein (Pitch Publishing)
We Are Scottish Football, Julie McNeill with photography by Campbell Ramage (Luath Press)
Wimbledon: The Pinnacle of Sport, Ian Hewitt & Bob Martin (Vision Sports Publishing)
Francis Clark Financial Planning International Sports Book of the Year
Believe: The Autobiography, Oleksandr Zinchenko (Bloomsbury Publishing)
Chasing Salah: The Biography, Simon Hughes (Constable)
Searching for Novak: The man behind the enigma, Mark Hodgkinson (Cassell)
The Showman, Glenn Maxwell with Adam Collins (Simon & Schuster Australia)
Unfiltered: My Incredible Decade in Formula 1, Guenther Steiner (Bantam)
View from the Second Row, Samuel Whitelock (Harper360)
Charles Tyrwhitt Rugby Book of the Year, in association with the Rugby Union Writers' Club
Everything Happens for a Reason: My Life in Rugby, Danny Care (Ebury Spotlight)
Obsessed: The Autobiography, Johnny Sexton with Peter O'Reilly (Sandycove)
The Biggar Picture: My Life in Rugby, Dan Biggar with Ross Harries (Pan Macmillan)
The Red Roses: Behind the Scenes with the England Women's Rugby Team, Jessica Hayden (Arena Sport)
This is Murrayfield: 100 Years of History in 100 Matches, Peter Burns & Rob Robertson (Polaris Publishing)
View from the Second Row, Samuel Whitelock (Harper360)
Kicking Goat Sports Entertainment Book of the Year
Around the World in 80 Fights,: A Lifetime’s Journey to the Heart of Boxing, Steve Bunce (Headline)
Chaos in the Box: Chronicles from Modern Football, David Squires (Guardian Faber)
Dear Scotland: On the Road with the Tartan Army, Ally McCoist with Leo Moynihan (Hodder & Stoughton)
Saturday Afternoon Fever: The Autobiography, Jeff Stelling (Headline)
The Good, the Bad & the Rugby - Unleashed, Alex Payne, James Haskell & Mike Tindall (HarperCollins)
Who Darts Wins!: Bullseyes, bounce-outs and the greatest game of all, John Woodhouse (Renegade Books)
Sports Performance Book of the Year
Bend, Don't Break: A Memoir of Endurance, Frank O'Mara (The O'Brien Press)
Hardest Geezer: Mind over Miles, Russ Cook (Ebury Spotlight)
The Path We Run: A personal history of women's ultrarunning, Jen Benson (Cassell)
There is No Wall, Allie Bailey (Vertebrate Publishing)
To the Limit: The Meaning of Endurance from Mexico to the Himalayas, Michael Crawley (Bloomsbury Sport)
Trails and Tribulations: The Running Adventures of Susie Chan, Susie Chan (Bloomsbury Sport)
Tri Again: The Road from a Hospital Bed to Ironman, Chris Sheard (Pitch Publishing)
