The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
‘Game-changer for the city’: Top ceremony at new venue
BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards to be held at Aberdeen’s P&J Live
A glittering array of stars will travel to north-east Scotland for one of the biggest nights in the British sporting calendar.
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is to be held for the first time in Aberdeen.
Presented by Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan, the awards will take place at the city’s new entertainment venue P&J Live on December 15.
It will only be the second time the event has been held in Scotland after Glasgow’s SSE Hydro hosted it in 2014.
Broadcast live from the Granite City on the BBC, the ceremony will celebrate a huge year of sport including the cricket World Cup and Ashes, Women’s football World Cup and the Solheim Cup golf at Gleneagles.
Head of entertainment at P&J Live Louise Stewart said: “This is a game-changer for the venue and the city.
“We are ecstatic to be working with the BBC Sports team and the wider Aberdeen stakeholder group on this flagship event. Hosting an event such as this was absolutely at the forefront of the city’s vision when planning this transformational project.”
Director of BBC Sport Barbara Slater said: “It’s been an extraordinary year of sport so far with many incredible moments and surely more to come.
“I have no doubt Aberdeen will be an excellent host city to help us celebrate.”
Nine titles are up for grabs including Sports Personality of the Year, Greatest Sporting Moment, World Sport Star of the Year, Coach of the Year, Young Sports Personality of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement award.
Aberdeen is the birthplace of many sporting legends including Denis Law and Paul Lawrie and achieved fame as the home of the football club where Sir Alex Ferguson first made his name as a trophy-winning manager.
Alongside the main event, the inaugural BBC Festival of Sport will take place in Aberdeen on December 13-14, giving local schoolchildren and members of the public the opportunity to try a variety of sporting activities.