Power of Potential: the next chapter

Over the past few months, something important has happened around Power of Potential. What began as a Gala & Awards has opened conversations with people across sport, business and our communities who share our belief that young people need more than recognition - they need real opportunities.

We have therefore made the decision to move the full Power of Potential Gala & Awards to autumn 2027 and use the year ahead to build Power of Potential into a wider programme of relationships, opportunities and experiences for young people, with the Gala becoming the celebration at the end of that first year.

There is also a very personal reason for giving this work more time. Sonia will shortly be undergoing surgery and needs the space to focus properly on her recovery. Moving the Gala allows us to protect both Sonia and the quality and ambition of what we are building.

Importantly, the 2026 Awards are not disappearing. We have received more than 80 nominations, and those young people deserve to be recognised. Nominations close at the end of this week, Sunday 11 October 2026, so if there is a young person you believe deserves recognition, there is still time to put their name forward. We will still go ahead with the Power of Potential Awards, but in a slightly different format, with our winners and a small group of special guests. Our inaugural winners will then become part of the Power of Potential story throughout 2027 and will be invited to present the awards to next year's winners at the Gala.

If you have already bought a ticket or reserved a table, we will contact you directly and give you a straightforward choice: a full refund, or your place carried over to the 2027 Gala. There is nothing you need to do right now, and nothing will be changed without your say so.

If you have nominated a young person, or been nominated yourself, we will also be in touch personally about next steps. The young people already put forward have not been forgotten, and they will still be recognised.

We have loved the passion shown towards Power of Potential. The conversations we have had with people across sport, business and our communities have been genuinely inspiring, and we are honoured by the trust placed in us. Those conversations have also enabled us to see the bigger picture.

So please be at ease about one thing: we are not going anywhere. This isn't about losing momentum, it is about using it. We are busy mapping out exactly what the full Power of Potential programme will look like, and we will continue growing the partnerships that turn these opportunities into something real for young people. Over the coming months we will share much more about the programme, the opportunities being created and the new Gala date.

The Steve Browne Foundation