Inspirational star has already won much more than a sports award

Legendary football manager Bill Shankly once famously said: “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”

The Liverpool boss’ words may have been tongue in cheek, but the sentiment is something I wholeheartedly believe – sport touches every part of our lives, and is so much more than just trophies, goals and titles.

Sport and its biggest players have the power to be a huge force for change, uniting the nation behind a common goal – whether that’s supporting athletes at the Olympics, encouraging kids to take up a new active hobby, or even making vital changes to our society as a whole.

Today, the sportsperson who most characterises this is Marcus Rashford. In the past seven months, the 22-year-old striker has consistently used his profile to highlight injustices, drawing on his own experience to successfully campaign for a cause he believes in. His voice was so powerful, he convinced the government to make a U-turn on their policy on providing free school meals outside of term-time, and he continues to fight for our most vulnerable children. He truly is an inspiration.

So, after so much success and commitment, why has it been suggested he might not be eligible for one of the most coveted titles in sport?

According to recent reports, the Manchester United player may not even make the shortlist for the BBC’S Sports Personality of the Year award, as his achievements “fall outside the world of sport”, causing MPS and the public alike to call for a change to the rules.

Personally, I don’t think the rules should be altered – there should be an entirely new award just for people like him, solely honouring campaigning work domestically or internationally.

Many sports heroes use their profile on the pitch, court or track to make their voice heard on issues they feel passionate about, and perhaps an accolade like Sports Campaigner of the Year would go a long way to encourage more stars to do the same.

What’s more, that’s not the only aspect of the award that could do with a shake-up, as when it comes to recognising women, the good old Beeb unfortunately also falls short.

Although there has been progress, some years no female athletes have made it onto the shortlist for the top award, and women’s teams are still woefully under-represented in terms of coverage.

In almost every other major award – from the BAFTAS to the Oscars – women and men have their own categories and the same goes for competition titles, too. So, why not for SPOTY?

When the public votes, it’s inevitable that male nominees and teams will receive more attention – sadly, they just have a bigger following and more fans. So, anything we can do to raise awareness and promote the women’s game is a step in the right direction.

The reality is, whether you are a woman in a man’s world or a young child society has forgotten about, you have to work and strive so much more just to achieve level pegging. So, let’s make that fight a little easier wherever we can.

Marcus Rashford continues to fight for our most vulnerable children