Baroness Sue Campbell honoured with Lifetime Contribution to Education Award by The Teaching Awards Trust

The Football Association’s Director of Women’s Football celebrated for dedicating career to promoting sporting opportunities for young people 

Baroness Sue Campbell has been celebrated for her incredible work transforming the life chances of young people. She received the Lifetime Contribution to Education Award from The Teaching Awards Trust in recognition of her work to emphasize the importance on the value of sport to children and young people, and supporting schools to gain new resources to offer sporting opportunities. 

Baroness Campbell began as a physical education teacher at Whalley Range High School in Manchester, in a career which took her to Chief Executive of the Youth Sports Trust, Chair of UK Sport and her current role as The Football Association’s Director of Women’s Football.

She was presented with the award at the postponed 2020 celebration for the Pearson National Teaching Award winners. This was organised to celebrate last year’s award winners, some of the finest teachers, lecturers and education staff in the country, who were unable to be honoured in person last year due to the pandemic. 

This is the award that is given annually by the board of The Teaching Awards Trust to exceptional individuals who have dedicated their lives to education and who have made an outstanding contribution to improving the lives of children and young people across the UK. Previous winners of the award include Sir Tim Brighouse, the former chief commissioner for schools, and Fred Jarvis MBE.

The Pearson National Teaching Awards is an annual celebration of exceptional teachers, founded in 1998 by Lord Puttnam to recognise the life-changing impact an inspirational teacher can have on the lives of the young people they teach.

Baroness Sue Campbell said:

“Thank you to Steve and everyone at The Teaching Awards Trust for this honour. I have always been passionate about the importance of sport in changing lives for the better, and spent my career trying to make this happen across the country. While I’m proud to have had this recognition, what is most important for me is that we keep building on the work done so far.

“Sport has the power to change young people’s lives for the better. It can contribute to physical and mental wellbeing, it can provide opportunities to compete and collaborate with others and it can help shape their place in society. It is so important that everyone is encouraged to discover what they love and is given the opportunity to be the best they can be.”

Steve Munby, Chair of The Teaching Awards Trust, said:

“Congratulations to Sue on receiving this award, which is so well-deserved. She has been an inspirational figure across the education sector for decades, and has made an indelible impact on the life chances of countless children. Throughout her career she has inspired young people to take up new sports, to fulfil their potential, and to reach for the top in every aspect of their lives. She is a national treasure, and we are all delighted to take this opportunity to thank her for everything she has done for our young people.”