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William Hill Sports Book of the Year

Annual British sports literary award

Field	Value
name	William Hill Sports Book of the Year
image	William Hill Sports Book of the Year (logo).jpg
sponsor	William Hill
host	William Hill
location
presenter
reward	£30,000
date
country	United Kingdom
year	1989
website	https://news.williamhill.com/sport/sports-book-of-the-year/

The William Hill Sports Book of the Year is an annual British sports writing award sponsored by bookmaker William Hill. It was first presented in 1989, and was conceived by Graham Sharpe of William Hill, and John Gaustad, founder of the Sports Pages bookshop. As of 2020, the remuneration is £30,000, and a leather-bound copy of their book. Each of the shortlisted authors receives £3,000.

Commenting on the prize, the 2005 winner Gary Imlach said "although it is a sports book prize, it has the prestige and the commercial clout to lift the winning book out of the sport section".

As of 2020, the judging panel is chaired by Alyson Rudd and includes retired professional footballer and former chairman of the Professional Footballer’s Association, Clarke Carlisle; five-time Olympic medallist and rower Dame Katherine Grainger; broadcaster and writer John Inverdale; broadcaster Danny Kelly and journalist and broadcaster Mark Lawson.

History

Paul Kimmage was the first author to win both the Irish (2011) and International awards (1990).

In 2010, Duncan Hamilton, a winner twice in the previous three years, was again included in the shortlist, although on this occasion, when the award was announced on 30 November in London, the prize was won by Brian Moore, the former England rugby union international, for his autobiography, Beware of the Dog.

In 2011, there was a "surprise inclusion" to the shortlist of Engage: The Fall and Rise of Matt Hampson, a biography of quadriplegic Matt Hampson, by 1990 winner Paul Kimmage, despite it not being included on the longlist. The shortlist also included a book on bullfighting, Into The Arena: The World of the Spanish Bullfight by Alexander Fiske-Harrison, despite journalists including Fiske-Harrison himself arguing that bullfighting was not a sport, leading to the employment of security for the first time at the ceremony at Waterstones of Piccadilly. In the end the prize went to A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke, about Robert Enke who committed suicide, by Ronald Reng.

Duncan Hamilton is the only author to have won the award three times, first in 2007, second in 2009 and most recently in 2019. Boxing author Donald McRae has twice won the award, in 1996 and 2002.

Lauren Fleshman's book Good for a Girl became in 2023 the first book written by a woman and about women's sports to win.

Winners

Year	Title	Author(s)	Featured subject(s)	Featured sport	Ref(s)	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993
True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny	Dan Topolski, Patrick Robinson	The Boat Race	Rowing
Rough Ride: An Insight into Pro Cycling	Paul Kimmage	Paul Kimmage	Cycling
Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times	Thomas Hauser	Muhammad Ali	Boxing
Fever Pitch: A Fan's Life	Nick Hornby	Nick Hornby	Football
Endless Winter: The Inside Story of the Rugby Revolution	Stephen Jones	Rugby union	Rugby union
Football Against the Enemy	Simon Kuper	Football	Football
A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour	John Feinstein	PGA Tour	Golf
Dark Trade: Lost in Boxing	Donald McRae	Boxing	Boxing
A Lot of Hard Yakka: Cricketing Life on the County Circuit	Simon Hughes	Simon Hughes	Cricket
Angry White Pyjamas: An Oxford Poet Trains with the Tokyo Riot Police	Robert Twigger	Robert Twigger	Aikido
A Social History of English Cricket	Derek Birley	Cricket	Cricket
It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life	Lance Armstrong, Sally Jenkins	Lance Armstrong	Cycling
Seabiscuit: The True Story of Three Men and a Racehorse	Laura Hillenbrand	Seabiscuit	Horse racing
In Black and White: The Untold Story of Joe Louis and Jesse Owens	Donald McRae	Joe Louis, Jesse Owens	Athletics, Boxing
Broken Dreams: Vanity, Greed and the Souring of British Football	Tom Bower	Football	Football
Basil D'Oliveira: Cricket and Conspiracy: the Untold Story	Peter Oborne	Basil D'Oliveira	Cricket
My Father & Other Working Class Football Heroes	Gary Imlach	Stewart Imlach	Football
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson	Geoffrey Ward	Jack Johnson	Boxing
Provided You Don't Kiss Me: 20 Years With Brian Clough	Duncan Hamilton	Brian Clough	Football
Coming Back to Me: The Autobiography of Marcus Trescothick	Marcus Trescothick, Peter Hayter	Marcus Trescothick	Cricket
Harold Larwood	Duncan Hamilton	Harold Larwood	Cricket
Beware of the Dog: Rugby's Hard Man Reveals All	Brian Moore	Brian Moore	Rugby union
A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke	Ronald Reng	Robert Enke	Football
The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs	Tyler Hamilton, Daniel Coyle	Tyler Hamilton, Lance Armstrong	Cycling
Doped: The Real Life Story of the 1960s Racehorse Doping Gang	Jamie Reid	William Roper, Micheline Lugeon	Horse racing
Night Games: Sex, Power and a Journey Into the Dark Heart of Sport	Anna Krien	"Justin Dyer"	Australian rules football
The Game of Our Lives: The Meaning and Making of English Football	David Goldblatt	Football	Football
Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life	William Finnegan	William Finnegan	Surfing
Tom Simpson: Bird on the Wire	Andy McGrath	Tom Simpson	Cycling
A Boy in The Water [joint winner]	Tom Gregory	Tom Gregory	Long-distance swimming	title=William Hill Sports Book of the Year prize shared for first time in 30 years	url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/nov/27/william-hill-sports-book-year-shared-first-time/	work=The Guardian	first=Sean	last=Ingle	date=27 November 2018	access-date=27 November 2018}}
The Lost Soul of Eamonn Magee [joint winner]	Paul D. Gibson	Eamonn Magee	Boxing
The Great Romantic: Cricket and the Golden Age of Neville Cardus	Duncan Hamilton	Neville Cardus	Cricket
The Rodchenkov Affair: How I Brought Down Russia's Secret Doping Empire	Grigory Rodchenkov	Doping in Russia	Olympic Games
Why We Kneel, How We Rise	Michael Holding	Black Lives Matter	Athletics, cricket, etc.
Beryl: In Search of Britain's Greatest Athlete	Jeremy Wilson	Beryl Burton	Cycling
Good For a Girl	Lauren Fleshman	Lauren Fleshman	Athletics
The Racket: On Tour with Tennis’s Golden Generation – and the other 99%.	Conor Niland	Conor Niland	Tennis
The Escape	Pippa York, David Walsh	Pippa York (previously Robert Millar)	Cycling

References

Wyatt, Neal. (2007). "The Readers' Advisory Guide to Nonfiction". ALA Editions.
Natasha Onwuemezi. (8 June 2016). "William Hill Sports Award founder Gaustad dies". [[The Bookseller]].
(2020-10-27). "William Hill Sports Book Of The Year".
link. "William Hill Sports Book of the Year". [[The Times]]. (21 November 2012)
Staff writer. (12 August 2011). "'Engage' takes top Irish sports book award for Hampson and Kimmage". The Score.
(30 September 2010). "From Agassi to Nazi, via "gonzo": prize's mixed bag « Sports Journalists' Association". Sportsjournalists.co.uk.
(1 December 2010). "Moore's raw autobiography takes Bookies' Prize". Sportsjournalists.co.uk.
Neill, Graeme. (31 October 2011). "Kimmage surprise entry on William Hill shortlist". The Bookseller.
(28 November 2011). "William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award winner to be announced". The Guardian.
Fiske-Harrison, Alexander. (25 November 2011). "To the Spanish bullfighting is much more than a sport". The Daily Telegraph.
(2019-12-05). "Duncan Hamilton wins William Hill Sports Book of the Year for third time".
"Two-time winners Mcrae and Hamilton on William Hill Sports Book of the Year longlist {{!}} The Bookseller".
Henderson, Jason. (30 November 2023). "Lauren Fleshman wins William Hill sports book of the year prize".
Baker, Andrew. (6 April 2007). "When mutineers hit the Thames". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
Farrand, Stephen. (8 November 2010). "Paul Kimmage: 20 years on from Rough Ride". Cycling News.
Hauser, Thomas. (4 September 2005). "The unforgiven". [[The Guardian]].
"Nick Hornby". British Council.
Cleary, Mick. (21 December 2000). "A touch of Wordsworth, a blast of Springsteen". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
(5 May 2011). "Doing their talking off the pitch". The Irish Times.
(23 November 1995). "Feinstein wins the top award". [[The Independent]].
"Donald McRae: About the author". Harper Collins.
Llewellyn, David. (25 November 1998). "Today's Runners And Writers: The Six Shortlisted For The William Hill Sports Book Of The Year". [[The Independent]].
"Simon Hughes". [[ESPNcricinfo]].
Wallace, Sam. (8 November 2001). "Tokyo's riot police ill-prepared for 'anarchic potential' of England fans". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
Lazard, Nicholas. (26 July 2003). "Ah, the thwack of willow on leather". [[The Guardian]].
(26 November 2012). "Tour de France drugs exposé wins William Hill". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
(27 November 2001). "Seabiscuit wins by a short head". [[The Guardian]].
(8 May 2005). "Top 50 sports books: The countdown: 26-50".
"S&S lands Hill double." ''[[The Bookseller]]'', 28 November 2003: 6. ''General OneFile''. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
(29 November 2004). "Book on D'Oliveira wins award". [[BBC News]].
Weaver, Paul. (21 November 2005). "Tale of injustice that prompted a son to shine". [[The Guardian]].
(27 November 2006). "Johnson biog named book of year". [[BBC News]].
Baker, Andrew. (28 November 2006). "Johnson's tale floors five rivals". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
Simon Redfern. (9 December 2007). "Provided You Don't Kiss Me, by Duncan Hamilton". [[The Independent]].
Dugdale, John. (28 November 2007). "The week in books". [[The Guardian]].
Baker, Andrew. (24 November 2008). "Marcus Trescothick autobiography wins William Hill Sports Book of the Year award". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
Baker, Andrew. (26 November 2009). "Duncan Hamilton wins William Hill Book of the Year Award for Harold Larwood biography". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
(26 November 2009). "Harold Larwood biography wins William Hill prize for Hamilton". [[The Guardian]].
(30 November 2010). "Former British Lions hooker Brian Moore wins sports book of the year". [[The Guardian]].
Briggs, Simon. (30 November 2010). "Telegraph Sport columnist Brian Moore wins William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award for Beware of the Dog". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
Bagchi, Rob. (28 November 2011). "Eloquent and sensitive story does justice to Robert Enke and his illness". [[The Guardian]].
Briggs, Simon. (28 November 2011). "Ronaldo Reng's biography of German goalkeeper Robert Enke 'A Life Too Short' named Sports Book of the Year". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
Ingle, Sean. (26 November 2012). "The Secret Race wins William Hill Sports Book of the Year for 2012". [[The Guardian]].
Dugdale, John. (27 November 2014). "Anna Krien's Night Games wins sports book of the year prize". [[The Guardian]].
Dugdale, John. (27 November 2015). "Sports book of the year brings ray of sunshine to the William Hill prize". [[The Guardian]].
(2016). "Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life wins 28th William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award". William Hill.
Sharpe, Graham. (29 November 2017). "Andy McGrath's 'Tom Simpson: Bird on the Wire' wins 2017 William Hill Sports Book of the Year". SBC News.
Ingle, Sean. (27 November 2018). "William Hill Sports Book of the Year prize shared for first time in 30 years". [[The Guardian]].
Briggs, Simon. (6 December 2019). "Neville Cardus's spirit oversees Duncan Hamilton's third William Hill Sports Book of the Year". Daily Telegraph.
(2020-12-03). "William Hill Sports Book of the Year: 2020 Winner Announced".
(2021). "The William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2021 Winner". [[Waterstones]].
(2022). "William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2022 Winner". William Hill.
(2023). "William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2023 Winner". William Hill.
(2024). "William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2024 Winner". William Hill.
(2025). "William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2025 Winner". William Hill.

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