Arsenal's Leah Williamson heads SportsAid award shortlist
Tuesday 20 October 2015 09:16, UK
Arsenal Ladies midfielder Leah Williamson heads a list of five women in the running to win SportsAid's 2015 One-to-Watch Award.
Young sprinter Laviai Nielsen, windsurfer Emma Wilson, swimmer Layla Black and tennis player Katie Swan also make the 10-strong shortlist for the award, alongside five male athletes.
The teenage rising stars have been nominated by their sport's governing body and are among 1,200 young athletes supported by SportsAid across more than 60 different sports in 2015.
Double junior world heptathlon champion Morgan Lake was the 2014 winner and this year's accolade will be presented at London's Park Lane Hilton at the charity's annual SportsBall on November 5th.
"It's great to be recognised as 'One-to-Watch' and nominated for the award out of so many athletes at SportsAid who are all huge talents for the future," Williamson said.
"We all work hard so I'm thrilled to be picked.
"I'm so thankful for all the SportsAid support I have received. It's helped me get to training in London and also funded equipment to enable me to compete and recover from injuries."
Williamson won the PFA Young Women's Player of the Year in April and was named last season's FA WSL Continental Cup Player of the Year, after helping Arsenal reach the final for the fifth year in succession.
But the 18-year-old says her 2015 highlight was scoring a decisive winner against Norway in a European qualifier, which finished five days after it started after an incorrectly disallowed penalty in the original fixture.
"My standout moment this year was scoring a penalty that took England Women's Under-19s to the 2015 European Championships," she added.
"It had to be replayed five days after the original game due to an intervention by UEFA."
One-to-Watch shortlist in full:
Leah Williamson
Laviai Nielsen
Emma Wilson
Layla Black
Katie Swan
James Arnott
Esah Hayat
Joshua Armstrong
Ben Dijkstra
Ross Cullen
