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Leeds Beckett graduates earn Sports Personality nominations
Leeds Rhinos legend Kevin Sinfield has become the first ever rugby league player to be nominated for the award; whilst England and Manchester City defender Lucy Bronze is also named on the SPOTY shortlist, after helping England win a bronze medal at the World Cup.
Sinfield, who is the highest points-scorer in the club’s history and the top points-scorer of the Super League era, ended his 521 game Leeds Rhinos career as Leeds completed a record-breaking treble in 2015. He finished with 3,968 points including 1,832 goals before switching codes to play for rugby union side Yorkshire Carnegie.
Kevin completed his BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science in 2008 before graduating this year with an MA Sport Business after spending three years studying alongside his playing commitments.
Lucy Bronze graduated from Leeds Beckett in 2013 after studying BSc (Hons) Sports Studies and was one of England's star players as they beat Germany to finish third at the World Cup in Canada. Bronze is the first female footballer to be nominated for the award and was named in the FIFA All-Star squad after the World Cup, having scored the winner against Norway in the last 16 and headed the second goal against Canada in the quarter final.
Speaking about her nomination, Lucy said: "We did so well at the World Cup so I was very surprised to be nominated for an individual award because there are a handful of girls that could have represented the team within this category. Obviously I’m delighted and humbled that it was me, but I’m happy to be representing the England girls as a whole. I don’t see it as me as an individual being nominated for an award, I look at it as me representing what we did in Canada and what we’ve done in the past few years and the changes we’ve made. I think it’s a credit to [how much the game has progressed] that there’s a Women’s player nominated for the first time. It shows that the way people are looking at our sport is changing and that is exactly what we want.”
Sinfield and Bronze are just two of a growing list of high-profile graduates from Leeds Beckett. Piers Agget and Kesi Dryden from the award-winning dance act Rudimental, lead singer of the Kaiser Chiefs Ricky Wilson, Olympic gold medal athlete Alistair Brownlee and London 2012 Olympic torch designer Edward Barber also studied at the University.
The full list of twelve contenders for the 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award on 20 December are athletes Jessica Ennis-Hill, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford, tennis player Andy Murray, F1's Lewis Hamilton, boxer Tyson Fury, cyclists Chris Froome and Lizzie Armitstead, swimmer Adam Peaty, gymnast Max Whitlock as well as Lucy Bronze and Kevin Sinfield.
This year's winner will be announced during the live Sports Personality of the Year show at Belfast's SSE Arena, as the sell-out show is held in Northern Ireland for the first time.
Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Leeds Beckett honorary graduate Gabby Logan will present the show on BBC One, whilst pop star Ella Henderson will open this year's show, performing with drum and bass duo and Leeds Beckett graduates Sigma and accompanied by the Ulster Orchestra.
Voting for the winner takes place on 20 December and votes can be cast by phone or online. The number to call for each contender will be revealed during the programme. There is no voting via email, Red Button or by text.