You can help Mel Marshall beat Gareth Southgate and Jürgen Klopp to top award

Mel Marshall is up against England boss Gareth Southgate and Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp for a prestigious coaching award – and you can decide who wins.

UK Coaching has revealed a public vote is taking place for the Great Coaching Moment of the Year category.

Marshall, who is also in the running for High Performance Coach of the Year Award, faces competition from Southgate, Klopp and athletics coach John Blackie, who is the guru behind Dina Asher-Smith.

The finalists were selected by UK Coaching in partnership with members of the Sports Journalists’ Association and the winner will be revealed at The Tower Hotel, London, on Thursday 5 December.

Marshall has helped guide Adam Peaty to multiple Olympic and world titles and has been instrumental in him achieving Project 56.

He became the first man to swim the 100m Breaststroke in under 57 seconds when he clocked 56.88 in the World Championships semi-final in Gwangju, South Korea, in July.

British Swimming and Loughborough’s National Centre coach Marshall said: “It goes without saying that it’s an absolute honour for both Adam and myself to be nominated for this award.

“Adam and I have been working together for 11 years now, so it has been an incredible journey that we’ve been on, with plenty of highs and lows along the way.

“2019 was a great year, with success at the World Championships and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank every single person from British Swimming and beyond who has played a key role in this success.”

Peaty, who was named Swimmer of the Year at the British Swimming Awards and dedicated to Marshall, praised his ‘incredible coach’ for helping him to ‘grow as a swimmer and a person’.

He added: “As one of the leading female coaches in our country, I’m thrilled that Mel has been recognised and nominated for Great Coaching Moment of the Year.

“Mel is so much more than just a coach and is there for her athletes 24/7.

Shares dreams of athletes

“We share common goals and a mutual understanding that we will work harder and be smarter which allows us to achieve the results that we do.

“Mel shares the dreams of her athletes and has enabled me to grow not just as a swimmer, but also as a person, both physically and mentally. Mel is an incredible coach and she’s also an incredible person.”

The Great Coaching Moment of the Year Award aims to recognise coaches who turn their focus from the game or result to the person or people in front of them.

It will celebrate the moments a coach does something humanistic to support or guide their athlete or team.

Andy Elliott, Sports Journalists’ Association Joint-chair, said: “Without great coaching, we wouldn’t witness great moments in sport, and the SJA is delighted to support UK Coaching in providing this shortlist for the Great Coaching Moment of the Year.

“We in the sports media understand that the focus inevitably will be on the performers, but we also recognise that coaches have a vital role to play in producing great sports stars and moments to savour.”

Emma Atkins, UK Coaching’s Director of Coaching, added: “What a fantastic shortlist for this year’s Great Coaching Moment.

“With so many prominent sporting moments to choose from over the past 12 months, we were pleased to have the support and input from members of the SJA, who are experts when it comes to knowing the moments that have got sports journalists talking and writing, and the rest of us reading.

“This line up demonstrates that Great Coaching in high-performance and elite sport isn’t, necessarily, always about the result or outcome.

“It can be about the strong lifetime bond formed between a coach and their athlete at a young age; or cherishing the moments of great success against the odds with your team; or being a source of light and great strength for your players in moments of darkness.

“I look forward to seeing who the public choose as their winner on the night of the awards.”

Voting for the Great Coaching Moment of the Year is open now and will close on Thursday 5 December.