Both the United Kingdom Armed Forces (formerly Combined Services) and the Royal Navy Sports Control Boards have annual awards ceremonies. The categories are sports man of the year, sports woman of the year, sports official of the year and team of the year. Each year the entries are whittled down to three nominations per category who are invited to the awards ceremony. The UKAF Awards are usually held in London whilst the last few RN awards have been presented onboard HMS Victory.
The UKAF Rugby Referees award the Jim Lees Memorial Trophy for referee of the year. Jim Lees was a former Group Capt in the Royal Air Force and also Chairman of Combined Services Rugby Referees and also represented Combined Services refereeing at the RFU. He sadly passed away whilst in the post of Chairman and since then the award has been made in his memory as Jim was the architect for the modern day United Kingdom Armed Forces Rugby Referees organisation. They also present a second award for match official of the year. This recognises not only refereeing accomplishment but also the greater role that is now played by Assistant Referees and the wider Match Official team.
Geraint Ashton Jones's achievement of winning the Royal Navy Sports Control Board's Award, presented to the Sports Official of the Year Award, twice was the first time this had been achieved. He won the award in 2004 for his refereeing and then received the award again in 2011 for his coaching.
In 2019 the scope of this awards page was widened to include National awards when Si Aldridge, a member of the Royal Navy Rugby Union Society, won the Guinness National Rugby Award for Referee of the Year. Later in the same year the Union had three nominees at the Naval Service Sports Board Sports Awards with Sam Matavesi going on to win the Sportsman of the Year Award.
In 2022 the Sports Awards split the officals category into 2; Official of the Year and Coach of the Year. Former capped player and now established coach in VIIs, XVs and XIIIs, B Buinimasi was the winner and shared the evening with two other Union stalwarts, Paula Bennett-Smith and Helen Richardson who both received RN Sports Board Outstanding Contribution Awards.
Updated December 2022
| Name | Year | Award |
|---|---|---|
| Silivenusi Buinimasi | 2022 | RN Sports Board Coach of the Year |
| Paula Bennett-Smith | 2022 | RN Sports Board Outstanding Contribution Award |
| Helen Richardson | 2022 | RN Sports Board Outstanding Contribution Award |
| Sam Matavesi | 2019 | UKAF Sportsman of the Year |
| Sam Matavesi | 2019 | RN Sports Control Board Sportsman of the Year |
| Charlotte Fredrickson | 2019 | RN Sports Control Board Sportswoman of the Year Runner Up |
| Scott Makepeace | 2019 | RN Sports Control Board Young Sportsman of the Year Runner Up |
| Si Aldridge | 2019 | Guinness National Rugby Awards - Referee of the Year |
| Sam Alderson | 2018 | RN Sportswoman of the Year |
| Duncan McClement | 2016 | UKAFRR Jim Lees Trophy - Match Official of the Year |
| Duncan McClement | 2016 | SRU Referee of the Year |
| Paula Bennett-Smith | 2014 | RN Sportswoman of the Year |
| Dave Pascoe | 2013 | CS Sportsman of the Year |
| Dave Pascoe | 2013 | RN Sports Control Board Sportsman of the Year |
| Tom Davies | 2013 | RN Sports Control Board Young Sportsman of the Year Runner Up |
| Andrew Wilcox | 2013 | RN Sports Control Board Official of the Year Runner Up |
| Si Aldridge | 2012 | CSRR Match Official of the Year |
| Geraint Ashton Jones | 2010 | CS Sports Control Board Official of the Year Runner Up (awarded for coaching) |
| Geraint Ashton Jones | 2010 | RN Sports Control Board Official of the Year (awarded for coaching) |
| Paul Burton | 2010 | CSRR Jim Lees Trophy - Match Official of the Year |
| Greg Barden | 2009 | RN Sports Control Board Sportsman of the Year Runner Up |
| Ash Coates | 2009 | RN Sports Control Board Official of the Year Runner Up (awarded for performance analysis) |
| Tim Bailey | 2009 | CSRR Jim Lees Trophy - Match Official of the Year |
| Owen Salmon | 2008 | RN Sports Control Board Official of the Year Runner Up (awarded for coaching) |
| Roger Baileff | 2007 | CSRR Jim Lees Trophy - Match Official of the Year |
| Steve Harland | 2005 | CSRR Jim Lees Trophy - Referee of the Year |
| Geraint Ashton Jones | 2004 | CS Sports Control Board Official of the Year (awarded for refereeing) |
| Geraint Ashton Jones | 2004 | RN Sports Control Board Official of the Year (awarded for refereeing) |
| Geraint Ashton Jones | 2001 | CSRR Jim Lees Trophy - Referee of the Year |
| RNRU Senior XV | 1987 | CS Team of the Year |
| Paul Dunn | 1977 | CS Sportsman of the Year |
| Paul Dunn | 1977 | RN Sports Control Board Sportsman of the Year |