Leadership and Life Balance
How Do I Give a Speech at the Team Awards Night?
Rhema Adelaja · National Champion & 4x DUX
Start about two weeks out and ask coaches and teammates for specific moments. Open with what the team lived through together. Name each person with one real example, and thank your coaches. Keep to your time slot and finish a little early. Use notes as prompts.
The answer
- Start about two weeks out. Ask coaches and teammates for the specific moments and contributions you want to mention.
- Open with shared experience: the hard times and good times your team lived through together.
- Recognise people one by one. Give each a specific moment or quality, not vague praise that could describe anyone. Include the people who led quietly, away from the coaches.
- Speak to people directly, using "you", so the recognition feels personal.
- Be warm and honest. A short pause to collect yourself is fine.
- Explain team memories enough that families understand them. Skip heavy inside jokes.
- Leave out comparisons between teammates, old disputes and playing-time decisions. Recognise character, growth and relationships as well as results.
- Draft it, cut it for length, and practise it out loud. Use notes as prompts, not a script to read. Finish a little before your time is up.
- Thank your coaches by name.
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Rules and amounts change. Check the official source before you act. Last checked: 29 October 2026.