Glass awards
Sportsmanship Award and Fair Play Award
A sportsmanship award rewards how someone plays rather than how well. Football has its Respect programme, rugby talks about its core values, and cricket has the Spirit of Cricket set out in the preamble to its Laws. Most clubs, in most sports, want a way to recognise the player who shakes hands, accepts decisions and helps an opponent up. Here is how to choose a winner fairly and word the award.
A few ways to make it yours
The designer
Design yours
Upload your club crest, type up to four lines and see it on the glass.
Simple pricing
End of season award prices: £8.99 small · £13.99 large
Mix sizes and designs freely. One delivery charge per order.
Minimum 5 awards. Delivery £10.00 per order.
Fair play for a team, sportsmanship for a person
Leagues often run a fair play table for whole teams, built from referee marks or disciplinary points, with a prize for the team at the top. A club sportsmanship award is usually for one person. If one of your teams has topped the league fair play table, a small award for every squad member is a good way to mark it at your own presentation. It gives your end of season awards a way to recognise conduct as well as results.
Keeping the two ideas separate also avoids an awkward night where the individual winner plays in a team that collected more cards than anyone else in the division.
How clubs pick the winner
Statistics help less here than with other awards, but they are a start. A player with no cards across a full football or hockey season has done something worth noting. Referees, umpires and opposition coaches are often the best judges, and some junior leagues ask them to name a player after each match. Collect those names through the season and the winner usually picks itself.
In junior sections, coaches often use this award for the child who is not the strongest player but always encourages teammates. That is why it is one of the awards parents value most at an under-9s or under-10s presentation.
Names used in different sports
Cricket clubs often call it the SPIRIT OF CRICKET AWARD, linking it to the Laws. Football clubs tend to use RESPECT AWARD or FAIR PLAY AWARD. Rugby clubs may name it after one of the game's values, such as respect or discipline. Netball and hockey clubs usually keep FAIR PLAY AWARD, and some junior golf sections present an etiquette award for the same reason.
Whatever you call it, use the same name every season. A consistent title builds up meaning over the years, and past winners will notice if it changes.
Wording and size
Line one carries the award title. Line two is the club name or the team, such as U13 BOYS or LADIES 2ND XI. Line three is the player's name, and line four the season, for example 2025/26.
Because this award sits among the playing awards, many clubs order it in the same size as player of the season so it does not look like a consolation prize. Small blocks are £8.99 each and Large are £13.99, and you can mix them freely in one order.
Good to know
Questions
Should the sportsmanship award be the same size as player of the season?
Many clubs think so, as it shows that behaviour matters as much as ability. Sizes can be mixed freely within an order, so you can choose Large for both headline awards and small for the rest of the squad.
Can we give a fair play award to every player in a team?
Yes. If your team has won a league fair play prize, design one award, then add each player's name using the same crest. The bulk option lets you paste the whole squad list at once, so it takes a few minutes.
Who should present the sportsmanship award?
Many clubs ask a referee, umpire or league official to present it, which gives it extra weight. If a match official helped choose the winner, inviting them to hand it over is also a good way to thank them for their part.
Will our crest print in our club colours?
Yes. The crest prints in full colour at the top of the front face, in your club's own colours. Upload a PNG or JPG, ideally a transparent PNG, and the design updates on a photo of the award as you type.
Keep exploring
Related awards
Club secretaries
Ordering for the whole club?
Finish one design, then reuse the same crest with a new name. Or paste a list of names and add every award in one go. Whatever the number of awards, there is one delivery charge per order.
Ordering for a club