Northamptonshire gymnastics coach nominated for national award
A coach from Rushden has been nominated for a prestigious UK Coaching award in recognition of her work developing the next generation of gymnastics talent.
Shoney Morrish, head coach at Eclipse Gymnastics, has been announced as a finalist for the UK Coaching Talent Development Coach of the Year. The awardrecognises those who nurture young athletes on their journey to success.
Shoney has led the club for the past 10 years, taking over the mantle from her grandad, who originally founded it after noticing a shortage of acrobatic opportunities in the area. She has been coaching for 18 years in total, with her work at the club leading to remarkable success, including the development of national and British champions.
Teamwork is essential in acrobatics, and each pair or trio has a designated leader who is in charge of communicating with coaches, listening to their teammates, and making collective choices. By providing and supporting independence and responsibility, Shoney has created squads full of leaders.
An individualised training book with customised plans and a goal-setting area is given to each partnership, empowering gymnasts to monitor their own development and take charge of their education, fostering self-reliance and life skills that go beyond sport.
As head coach at Eclipse Gymnastics, it is Shoney’s philosophy of positivity and supported autonomy which has created multiple national finalists, setting them on a path of self-directed success.
The UK Coaching Awards is regarded as the most prestigious event within the coaching community, established to recognise the invaluable role coaches play in building a happier and healthier society.
Previous award winners include Judy Murray and Aston Moore (Lifetime Achievement award), Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman (Great Coaching Moment of the Year), and the coaches behind Lucy Bronze and Katarina Johnson-Thompson's path to success (Coaching Chain award).
UK Coaching’s CEO, Mark Gannon, reflecting on the breadth of coaching talent announced as this year’s finalists, added: “We are excited to announce the finalists of the 2025 UK Coaching Awards. Each year, we recognise some truly remarkable coaches from across the UK at every level, and it is always a challenge to select our finalists from an incredible group of nominations.
“Coaches across the nation can all be proud of the valuable contribution they make to the health and wellbeing of the nation.
“Following a phenomenal summer of women’s sport this year, there has never been a better time to celebrate coaches who make it all happen.”
The awards will be held on December 4th at The Queens Hotel in Leeds.
Find out more about this year’s finalists and the awards by heading to www.ukcoaching.org/events/our-awards.