Features

The awards were:

The Coach of the Year 2007

Awarded to Tony Smith, who guided Leeds Rhinos to the title, against St Helens at Old Trafford, in his last game in charge before taking over the Great Britain post. It was the second Grand Final triumph that Smith had overseen for the Rhinos.

Team of the Year 2007

Awarded to Leeds Rhinos.

During the ceremony, in Barnsley on Sunday 2 December 2007, a special Spirit Of Yorkshire Award was given posthumously to Leeds' charity fundraiser Jane Tomlinson who died this year. The award was collected by her husband, Mike.

Lifting the trophy 2007

The BBC’s Yorkshire Sports Personality of the Year 2007 was named as World Superbike Champion James Toseland. The Sheffield-born rider, 27, won the World Superbike Championship for a second time in October and was presented with the BBC Award during an event hosted by BBC Look North presenters Harry Gration, Christa Ackroyd and sports presenter Tanya Arnold.

Toseland won a vote from a shortlist that also included Leeds Rhinos' mercurial scrum-half Rob Burrow.

Robinson’s is for the first time the event sponsor of the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year show. They also sponsored the Sporting Unsung Hero Award, now in its fifth year, which recognises and rewards outstanding contribution by individuals at the grassroots level of local sport. Bursaries of up to £2,500 have been made available to the winners of each regional award, to help them with their work in sport.

The BBC Awards were judged by a seven-strong panel whose names are listed below: 

Tanya Arnold - BBC Look North sports reporter
Harry Gration - BBC Look North presenter
Sharon Shortle - Sports Editor, BBC Radio York
Derm Tanner - Sports Editor, BBC Radio Leeds
Seth Bennett - BBC Radio Sheffield
Matt Reeder - Yorkshire Post
Elizabeth Peacock - Chair, BBC Regional Advisory Council

The panel also made up the shortlist for the BBC Yorkshire Sports Personality of the Year Award.  Viewers of BBC Look North voted for the winner.