NI Kings Birthday Honours List for sport and recreation
A number of individuals from across Northern Ireland’s sporting community have been recognised in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours, highlighting the vital role sport continues to play in strengthening communities and enriching lives.
Among those honoured are figures spanning grassroots sport, administration, coaching, and broadcasting. Their contributions reflect the breadth of the sporting ecosystem, from participation and inclusion initiatives to high-performance environments and media coverage.
Recipients of the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) include individuals recognised for services to amateur golf, disability football, cricket, horse racing, and sport-related leadership, alongside those whose work connects sport with wider community and charitable impact. In addition, British Empire Medal (BEM) recipients have been acknowledged for their dedication to local sport, including cricket and martial arts, as well as community-based activity that supports participation.
The honours also recognise the critical contribution of sport storytelling and visibility, with sports broadcasting highlighted as an important part of how communities engage with and celebrate local and international success.
Together, these awards underline the importance of sport beyond competition. From volunteers and coaches to administrators and advocates, those recognised demonstrate how sport can drive inclusion, support physical and mental wellbeing, and build stronger, more connected communities.
The NI Sports Forum extends its congratulations to all those honoured and thanks them for their continued commitment to the development of sport and physical activity across Northern Ireland.
Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
- Mr Trevor Annon – Managing director and chair, Mount Charles. For services to business, to sport and to charity in Northern Ireland.
- Mr John Law Bamford – For services to amateur golf.
- Mr Alan William Crooks – Disability manager, Irish Football Association. For services to disability football.
- Mr Richard Lyttle – For services to the horse racing industry.
- Mr Brian Walsh – For services to cricket.
- Mr Stephen Watson -Broadcaster. For services to broadcasting and to kidney transplant awareness and to fundraising in Northern Ireland.
Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM)
- Mr Roger Frederick Bell -For services to local cricket.
- Mrs Maxine Chambers
Senior youth support worker, Goal Line Youth Trust and co-founder, Bluebell Trust. For services to young people in Portadown, County Armagh. - Mr Robert Edward Cullinan – For services to community relations and to Brazilian Jui -Jitsu.
- Mr David Stewart Smallwoods – For services to local football.
- Miss Jennifer Elizabeth Smyth -For services to disability sport.
- Mr David Thomas Crowe Workman – For services to rugby and to community relations in Ballynahinch.
