Kottayam: The three finalists for the Manorama Sports Club Award 2023 have been announced. The award, instituted by Malayala Manorama in association with Santa Monica Study Abroad, intends to honour the contributions of clubs and academies to the state's sports sector during 2023.

The three contenders picked up by an expert panel are: Chakkalakkal HSS Sports Academy, Madavoor, Kozhikode; Darsana Arts & Sports Club, Azheekodan Nagar, Kenichira, Wayanad; and Redlands Volleyball Centre, Varakkara, Thrissur.

The winners will be announced in the first week of April. The first-prize winner will be given away the Manorama Sports Club Award 2023 and a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh while the second and third place winners will be awarded trophies and a purse of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh respectively. Besides, clubs/academies with noteworthy achievements will also be honoured.

Hundreds of clubs/academies from across the state were in the fray for the Manorama Sports Club Award 2023 before the expert committee pruned the list to eight. Those who missed out on the final three spots are, Kottayam West Club, Thazhathangady; Mar Basil Sports Academy, Kothamangalam; FC Kuttanellur, Thrissur; Jawahar FC, Mavoor, Kozhikode; and Iringal Pappan Memorial Sports Academy, Vadakara. 

The panel members visited the eight shortlisted clubs and interacted with coaches, sportspersons, and office-bearers in order to evaluate their achievements during the year under review.  The members of the expert panel were ex-India footballer N P Pradeep, former captain of the national volleyball team Tom Joseph, and former international athlete and Arjuna awardee Joseph G Abraham.

The winners of the Manorama Sports Club Award in the previous years were: Volley Friends Sports Centre Payambra, Kozhikode (2017); Olympic Athletic Club, Palakkad (2018); Pattern Sports and Arts Society, Karanthoor, Kozhikode (2019); Young Men's Association, Thiruvallam, Thiruvananthapuram (2020-21); and SB Football Academy, Poovar, Thiruvananthapuram (2022).

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