Jill Scott has been named the North East Football Writers' Association name their Personality of the Year, a prestigious award given in association with the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.
Recognising someone who uses their position in football to benefit the wider community, this year's hugely popular choice is former Sunderland, England, Everton and Manchester City star and 'Queen of the Jungle'.
Jill, a proud Mackem, is England's second most capped player and played a key role in the Lioness' team that inspired the nation by winning last year's Euros.
An ambassador for the charities Variety and Red Sky Foundation, she was awarded an MBE in the Queen's 2020 New Year Honours list in recognition of services to women's football and has gone on to become a well-known television personality, winning 2022's I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
Colin Young, Secretary of the North East Football Writers' Association, says: "This award is something our Association and the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation give great consideration to and we were all united in choosing Jill. She's an inspiration to footballers, young and old, male and female, and her passion for the game, her humour and positivity, makes her a tremendous role model and representative of this region. We're extremely proud to name her the North East Football Writers' Association Personality of the Year and we're all looking forward to paying tribute to her at the awards night in March."
Born in Sunderland, 35-year-old Jill now lives in Manchester with her fiancée Shelly Unitt, and retired from football in August.
In 2022, she returned to her first club, Boldon Girls FC, for the BBC's We Are England, to promote the importance of the grassroots game. The programme also highlighted the impact the Lionesses are making for a whole new generation of young footballers.
Last year's North East Football Writers' Association Personality of the Year was awarded to Middlesbrough's Chris Kamara and previous winners include former England captains, Steph Houghton and Alan Shearer.
Jill says: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be receiving this award and it means a lot to me to be recognised like this in my native North East. To have my name sat alongside a list of such prestigious former winners is amazing and I'm really looking forward to the event."
Jill will receive her award at the North East Football Writers' Association Awards night, sponsored by William Hill, which celebrates the best of North East football and is held annually at the Ramside Hall Hotel in Durham. The event will, once again, raise funds for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, which is part of Newcastle Hospitals Charity and helps find more effective ways to detect and treat cancer.
The North East Football Writers' Association Awards are voted for by football writers across the region. Other recipients this year include Sunderland goalkeeper, Anthony Patterson, who has been named Young Player of the Year for 2022. Newcastle's Brazilian midfielder, Bruno Guimaraes, is Men's Player of the Year, while Durham's Sarah Robson has once again been voted Women's Player of the Year.
Sir Bobby Robson launched his Foundation in 2008 as a fund within Newcastle Hospitals Charity. It has gone on to raise over £18m to help find more effective ways to detect and treat cancer.
Working within the NHS and in partnership with other leading charities and organisations, the work funded directly benefits cancer patients in the North East and Cumbria and plays a significant role in the international fight against the disease.
Tickets for the North East Football Writers' Association's annual awards night on 5 March are available from Claire Stephen at Ramside Hall Hotel (0191 375 3080, claire.stephen@ramsidehallhotel.co.uk)
