An Ealing boccia coach admitted he was left completely speechless after being named Community Coach of the Year at the 2016 UK Coaching Awards for his services to the sport.

Sunil Birdy has, in the space of 12 years, gone from a volunteer to boccia head coach at PACE, an organisation promoting the inclusion of young disabled people in sport.

It’s a journey which saw him given top honours at Holiday Inn, Wembley, on Tuesday night, the perfect recognition after seeing one of his athletes win gold at the 2016 Great Britain Boccia Championships.

But Birdy, 28, insists it’s the smile on the faces of his athletes that is his biggest reward, grateful for their support in the PACE programme, which was originally set up by his mum Krishna more than a decade ago.

“I can’t describe the feelings that I have, it’s completely overwhelming and I’m really pleased and proud of the work that’s gone in to getting me to this point,” he said.

“It’s been hard work from myself and the team, the people around me that have been able to provide a lot of support to help that coaching, keeping us progressing to do the work that we do.

“It’s the athletes who make this so rewarding, their individual journeys are really important and we want to try and get as many people involved as possible.

“You don’t know where your athletes can end up and every single one of them started in a hall like ours at one point in their career.”

More than 6,000 people have been involved with PACE since its beginnings, with Birdy getting his acclaim just a stone’s throw from his front door at the UK Coaching Awards.

The annual celebration, organised by Sports Coach UK, honours sports coaches and coaching organisations who have demonstrated outstanding success over the previous 12 months, with HRH The Princess Royal on hand to present the awards.

And with a big year for Olympic and Paralympic athletes still fresh in the mind, Birdy believes now more than ever is the time for coaches to step up to the plate for everyone to reach their potential.

“Some of our athletes compete from grassroots all the way up to international level so it’s so important to have that community,” he continued.

“All athletes need somebody relatable, not only a coach but someone who can nurture them through the experience and the highs and lows of sport.

“For a lot of coaches you need to be a positive role model, encourage people to get over the obstacles the sport.

“There are a lot of physical and social barriers with people with disabilities so it’s so important to have a lot of respect for that and get people to the best position they can be.”

The UK Coaching Awards honours sports coaches and coaching organisations that have demonstrated success over the previous 12 months. This year’s winners came from 11 different sports – highlighting the very best of coaching from high performance to community, from children to disability. Find out more about coaching in the UK at www.sportscoachuk.org.