Amateur Sheffield boxer wins Sportivate award for '˜outstanding commitment'

An amateur South Yorkshire boxer has won a national award for her outstanding commitment to sport.
Fariyah Safah, from Nether Edge, Sheffield, receives the Sport England Sportivate Participant of the Year award from rugby world cup winner Maggie Alphonsi MBE and minister for sport and tourism Tracey Crouch.Fariyah Safah, from Nether Edge, Sheffield, receives the Sport England Sportivate Participant of the Year award from rugby world cup winner Maggie Alphonsi MBE and minister for sport and tourism Tracey Crouch.
Fariyah Safah, from Nether Edge, Sheffield, receives the Sport England Sportivate Participant of the Year award from rugby world cup winner Maggie Alphonsi MBE and minister for sport and tourism Tracey Crouch.

Fariyah Safah, from Nether Edge, has been named the Sport England Sportivate Participant of the Year.

Fariyah took part in female-only boxing classes as part of a Sportivate project at the One Nation Community Centre in Sharrow. Although she was apprehensive to begin with, in her first class Fariyah was reassured to find supportive coaches in a female-only environment.

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To help overcome her own anxiety and to make it easier for others to sign up, Fariyah developed a ‘fitness friends’ programme which encouraged young women to buddy up with a female friend or family member for moral support. Fariyah now acts as an ambassador for the project, actively encouraging more South Yorkshire women to try boxing.

Minister for Sport and Tourism Tracey Crouch presented the award

Fariyah said: “If it wasn’t for the Sportivate sessions held at One Nation Community Centre, I wouldn’t be involved in sport, not to mention have my new role as a sports coach and mentor.

“I was keen to try boxing for a while but I had concerns whether it was right for me. Through One Nation Women’s female only classes, I got the support I needed to overcome my inhibitions and learn how to box. I am delighted that now I can give something back – and help other women.”