Rising Stars in Sport 2016

Introducing our Rising Stars winners in the Sports category for 2016

Manisha Tailor

Swaggarlicious

Manisha Tailor is a highly regarded football coach who through her brand ‘Swaggarlicious’, engages in community projects targeting females, BAME groups, disability groups including mental health, and young people

using the influence of football. Her exemplary work includes: ‘Simply Being’, a project which engages those with mental illness by providing an inclusive safe environment to engage in physical activity within the Borough of Barnet. She is a UEFA B licensed football coach, making her a minority of the highest qualified Asian females in the country. Manisha previously worked as Head Coach at a Girls Centre of Excellence, a professional FA academy in which she inspires girls into football. As well as an influence with charity, ‘Show Racism the Red Card’, she works nationally to deliver equality education through the power of football to young people. The last few years have seen Manisha’s work gain recognition internationally where she has travelled to Canada, Cyprus and Belgium to work with young people delivering football sessions with a focus on teamwork and integration.

Sophie Radcliffe

Challenge Sophie

Endurance athlete, adventurer and blogger Sophie Radcliffe quit her London 9-5 job three years ago in search of a new story. Driven by her philosophy “One day I will not be able to do this. Today is not that day” she is the only person in history to have climbed the highest mountains in the eight Alpine countries and cycled between them, climbing five times the height of Mount Everest in 32 days. She’s cycled 300km from London to Paris in 24 hours on nine occasions, completed multi-sport adventure races around the world, raced her bike coast to coast across the USA, completed 100km ultra-marathons, and is a two-time Ironman finisher.

Her mission is to champion ordinary people achieving extraordinary things. Which she does by spreading positive messages around self-confidence, body image and the right mindset to dream, perform and achieve in life. A motivational speaker, entrepreneur and writer, she’s passionate about bringing life changing moments to people’s lives that help us on our paths to greatness.

Francesca Brown

Goals4Girls

Francesca is the Managing director & CEO of Goals4Girls, which was launched in June 2013. Goals4Girls is a football development programme which works with young women aged between 11-16. The programme aims are to break down barriers & reduce inactivity amongst young women in sport, by raising the aspirations, self-confidence, self-esteem and mind sets of young women inspiring them to set and achieve their goals.

The Football development programme provides football coaching, player development pathways, coaching, qualifications, workshops, inspirational seminars, trips and mentoring to girls in and around East London.

The Goals4Girls coaching experience is different in the way that we cater to the needs of the young women, making each session Fun and rewarding. Being a female only development programme we pride ourselves with having the ability to work with a diverse selection of young women, from all cultures, backgrounds & abilities. G4G aims to encourages every individual we work with to challenge themselves, in a safe environment.

Goals4Girls has developed over 300+ Young women since launching. Currently the programme is running in The Royal Docks Community school, working closely with organisations like London Youth, Sports England, Prince’s Trust,The FA, London FA & Tottenham Hotspur Ladies.

Francesca’s experience stems from her success as a professional athlete, playing for teams such as Manchester United community and Manchester city.

She is the Ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, and is a FA Qualified coach who has worked with young women from BAME, African and ethnic minority communities’ across London. Francesca is also motivational speaker who has provided insight into her business and lifestyle, to organisations such as Women in Sport & Sports England.

#ONETEAMONEDREAM

Alexandra Merisoiu

The Merisoiu Technique Institute

Alexandra is known as The Body Engineer and is the founder of The Merisoiu Technique Institute Of Health And Natural Human Movement™.

She works with men and women entrepreneurs re-engineering how the body functions to run like clockwork.

She works with people who have a passion and want to excel through strong foundations. It is more than just fitness and fun, it is body mastery based on Martial Arts Wisdom™ and Natural Human Movement™. Her clients are passionate and dedicated to get the results they seek.

Alexandra is also a passionate Karate champion. Since 1995 she has explored how the body and mind works. She has done this through using many different sporting techniques and working with a wide variety of highly respected coaches.

She has been ranked 1st in WMO BRITISH NATIONAL CHAMPSIONSHIP, 2nd and 3rd at WORLD KARATE CHAMPIONSHIP, 2 times NATIONAL KARATE CHAMPION, WORLD CUP CHAMPION and is a 3rd Dan Black Belt in Karate Shotokan. She still competes at an international level with her recent 3rd place at the Karate Shotokan World Championship in October 2015 representing England.

Her mission is to challenge the statues quo of how to get a fit, strong and powerful body.

Hayley Bennett

Kick It Out

Hayley is developing the future of equality in football in her role as Education Officer at Kick It Out. Her role involves coordinating the organisation’s message to young people as well as educating people about discrimination, from all vantage points. Hayley travels to schools, colleges and universities nationwide with her message, and aspires to promote a positive change in the world. Hayley is passionate about football and equality and a firm believer in the power of sport to catalyse change in modern society.