By Paul Eddison, Sportsbeat

When basketball prodigy Irene Oboavwoduo found out that she had finished in the top three for SportsAid’s prestigious One-to-Watch Award, there was added emotion as mum Judith was the one to break the news and present her with her third-place plaque.

The One-to-Watch Award, supported by Aldi, the charity’s Official Supermarket Partner, recognises Britain’s brightest young sporting prospects and has been running since 2006 with previous victors including Olympic champions Tom Daley and Alex Yee and Paralympic gold medallist Hollie Arnold.

Oboavwoduo was selected in third place for the illustrious Award from around 1,000 rising stars, supported by SportsAid, across more than 60 different sports in 2024. It was a fitting moment for her family to share given the sacrifices made by Oboavwoduo’s parents in helping her to reach the top.

She is part of an elite sporting family with her older brother Justin and younger sister Jane both being on the books at Manchester City, while it was Irene’s eldest sister Anita who first got her into basketball.

But she would not be where she is – captaining England to U16 Four Nations glory in 2024 – without the support of her mum and dad.

So when Judith got the chance to tell her daughter that she had finished third among the 10 shortlisted nominees for the One-to-Watch Award, it was a very special occasion.

Judith said: “It was really an honour to do that. I was hugely proud to be able to give that to her. When we got the news that she was among the top 10. We were shocked and amazed, looking at the other people who had been nominated, we thought ‘wow’.

“Just being in the top 10 was a big award, and then to be third is mind-blowing. All the hard work has paid off because she has been so dedicated to her sport and as a family, we have been dedicated to making sure she achieves that so we are really proud of her.

“They [SportsAid] were doing some photoshoots in the training facility where she trains. While they did them, they told me that Irene had made the top three. I was crying, I was in tears, I couldn’t believe it. So they told me to calm down and that I was going to be the one to tell her! It was too much for me but I was overjoyed at the news.”

Based in Manchester, Irene and her siblings are able to train nearby, but even with the proximity of top-class facilities, the time commitments for the family are intense.

That can mean mum Judith is in France for a football tournament with Justin while dad Jude is watching Irene in action in a basketball event in Spain. But all those sacrifices are worth it according to Judith, when she sees her children succeeding at the highest level.

She added: “It’s not been an easy journey, but it’s a rewarding journey. When you see something like this happening, Irene getting this award, it tells you that you are doing something right. All those sacrifices, everything we have let go, myself and my husband, doing all this for the children, we are doing something right. It’s not easy to have athletes that are at the top of their games at the different levels where they are. It’s been very challenging but good too.

“We have to be there to support them, they are still kids. We have to support them emotionally, we have to motivate them, they need constant reassurance in what they are doing.

“They have missed out on a lot of things, going to parties, going to friends’ birthdays, but I tell them it’s worthwhile. It’s a lot of sacrifice but it’s rewarding at the end.”

Kyrsten Halley, Marketing Director of Aldi UK, supporters of SportsAid’s One-to-Watch Award, said: “A huge congratulations to Irene on finishing in the top three for this year’s One-to-Watch Award, and also to her family for the pivotal role they have played in supporting her to pursue her sporting ambitions.

“We know how instrumental parents and caregivers are to the future success of British sport. Over many years, they adopt a variety of roles which stretches way beyond the financial element. They may act as a taxi driver, psychologist, nutritionist, social media assistant and much, much more.

“They really do epitomise the ‘team behind the team’ and give their children the platform to flourish and be the best they can be. We are very proud to be supporting SportsAid to help parents and caregivers support their children in navigating their journey up the performance pathway.”

Aldi supports SportsAid, as the charity’s Official Supermarket Partner, to provide advice, insight and knowledge, both through online and in-person workshop sessions, to the parents and caregivers of talented young athletes across Great Britain.