2020 Lycetts Team Champion Award Winners
Dan Kubler and Jonjo O'Neill are the 2020 winners of the Lycetts Team Champion Award, which celebrates the British racehorse training yards with the highest standards of employee management.

The former won the category for yards with fewer than 40 horses; and the latter won the category for yards with 40 or more horses.

2020 Lycetts Team Champion Award, less than 40 horses in training, the winning team with Dan Kubler

2020 Lycetts Team Champion Award, more than 40 horses in training, the winning team with JonJo O'Neill

New for 2020, the Farm & Stable Innovation and Wellbeing award was won by Jo Foster. This award focuses on enriching life within racehorse training yards and asks trainers to demonstrate how their business is changing, the steps they are taking to enhance the environment for staff.

Left - Jo Foster and her winning team.

To reflect the outstanding quality of the 2020 nominations, special awards for excellence were awarded as follows:

• Recruitment & Induction - Ralph Beckett, Eve Johnson Houghton
• Diversity - Richard Phillips, William Haggas
• Safe Working Environment - William Haggas, Bryan Smart
• Safeguarding & Pastoral Care - Ruth Carr, Suzy Smith
• Leadership - Ruth Carr, Richard Phillips, Suzy Smith
• Training and Development - Dan Kubler, Kim Bailey, George Scott, Rae Guest
• Reward & Recognition - Susan Corbett, Jonjo O'Neill
• Best Newcomer - Roger Charlton

For further information about the 2020 award winners and nominations please follow the link to our press release below.

Lycetts Team Champion Yards in 2020

Lycetts Team Champion Standard Accreditation is awarded to yards that have shown very good levels of team ethos and staff engagement.

Lycetts Team Champion Gold Accreditation is awarded to yards that have shown outstanding levels of team ethos and staff engagement.

Based on their previous scores, the following yards are currently accredited:

Nick Alexander	Kim Bailey	Andrew Balding
Ralph Becket	Ruth Carr	Roger Charlton
Susan Corbett	Tom Dascombe	Robin Dickin
Ann Duffield	Harry Dunlop	James Fanshawe
Charlie Fellowes	Jo Foster	Rae Guest
Warren Greatrex	Oliver Greenall	William Haggas
Nicky Henderson	Eve J Houghton	Philip Hobbs
Richard Hughes	Linda Jewell	Martin Keighley
Dan Kubler	Alan King	Emma Lavelle
Charlie Longsdon	Daniel Loughnane	Brian Meehan
Seamus Mullins	Amy Murphy	Jedd O'Keeffe
Jonjo O'Neill	Amanda Perrett	Richard Phillips
Lucinda Russell	George Scott	Bryan Smart
Suzy Smith	Jamie Snowden	Ed Walker

About the Awards
The Lycetts Team Champion Award celebrates and rewards the British racehorse training yards with the highest standards of employee management.

Our objectives are to:

1. Reward yards where staff are managed to the highest standards
2. Showcase how developing a high performance team has positive effects on your business - including levels of recruitment and retention
3. Spread the message about safe working practices
4. Demonstrate to potential employees and the public that British racehorse trainers provide the best supported jobs anywhere in the equine sector

A £4000 prize awaits the winner in both categories, yards with 40 or more horses and yards with fewer than 40 horses.

All entries are eligible for Lycetts Team Champion Accreditation - Standard or Gold, depending on the points earned from the nomination. Trainers can choose not to compete for the award and apply only for accreditation.

In 2020 Farm & Stable have supported a new award for Innovation and Wellbeing.
The Farm & Stable Innovation and Wellbeing award focuses on enriching life within racehorse training yards and asks trainers to demonstrate how their business is changing and the steps they are taking to enhance the environment for staff.

How to apply for Lycetts Team Champion Award and Accreditation
Due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, plans for the 2021 award have been put on hold. An update will be posted on this page in due course.

A video guide to the 2020 nomination process can be viewed at the link below, together with the various nomination forms to give you an idea of the judging criteria and the evidence teams must submit.

In 2020 there was a nomination form for each of five different sections. The forms comprised of step-by-step instructions and examples showing the type of evidence the judges expect to see.

Download Nomination Forms & Guide

Form 1 Recruitment and Induction Form 2 Safe Working Environment Form 3 Leadership and Management Form 4 Development and Training

Form 5 Reward and Recognition Signed Confirmation Form Please print, sign and return to us via email A Guide for Teams The Award Process Explained

Why Should My Yard Enter The 2021 Award?

Taking part in the Lycetts Team Champion Award will

• Give you an industry-recognised accreditation. This quality mark shows employees and clients that your yard operates high standards of staff management.
• Give you an opportunity to benchmark your business and indicate where and how improvements could be made.
• Qualify your yard for promotion through the Racing Groom website.
• Give your business a chance of winning £4000 funded by our generous sponsor - Lycetts Insurance Brokers.

Watch this video to hear Lycetts Team Champion Trainers describing the benefits of entering the award.

• Research for a University of Liverpool MBA found that accredited yards have seen a positive impact on their staff retention rates and the nomination process is a great way to see how you can strengthen your business. Read about the research in this document "Staff Retention and Lycetts Team Champion Award" below.

The Winning Approach
The assessment criteria for Lycetts Team Champion Award are based on The Winning Approach, a best practice standard developed for the NTF by consultants Sport and Beyond. They include effective recruitment and induction systems, a safe working environment, leadership and communications, developing staff to fulfil their potential, and rewarding achievement.

A copy of The Winning Approach can be found on the NTF website using the link below. Development of The Winning Approach and the award was funded with the help of The Racing Foundation.

Judges

Yogi Breisner, renowned for his stellar accomplishments as a competitor and leader in the field of Three Day Eventing, chaired the panel and presented the prizes for 2019. Commenting on the judges' experience of the awards and the assessment, Breisner said, "It has been a very interesting exercise to be one of the judges and a privilege to be involved in a fantastic initiative by Lycetts and the NTF".

The LTC Best Practice Workbook
Examples of working practices praised by the judges can be found in the LTC Best Practice Workbook here

Yogi Breisner went on to say, "I have been very impressed at the high standard of the applicants and it has shown that in many yards there is a very high level of work etiquette and team spirit."

The History of the Team Champion Award

In early 2017, Rupert Arnold proposed the initiative for the National Trainers Federation (NTF) to create a Team Champion Award. With a successful application to The Racing Foundation who awarded the NTF a grant and sponsorship from Lycetts Insurance Brokers, the Lycetts Team Champion was born.

The conception of the idea for this initiative was to:

• Deliver praise and a sense of achievement for the racehorse training yards with the highest standards of employee management
• Showcase the positive results of developing a team that works well together
• Spread the message about safe working practices
• Improve recruitment and retention rates by promoting the most successful management practices and encouraging their wider adoption among racehorse trainers.

About Lycetts Insurance

The Lycetts Group was founded in 1961 and has grown to become one of the UK's leading independently-operated insurance brokers. Lycetts specialises in farm and estate insurance and provides bespoke financial services, commercial and bloodstock insurance advice. It has 17 offices in the UK, with its headquarters based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

About The Racing Foundation

The Racing Foundation was established in January 2012 to oversee the distribution of funds to charitable causes within racing following the sale of the Tote. It is registered with the Charity Commission as a charity (no. 1145297). Since inception, the Racing Foundation has granted just over £7.6million to charities associated with the horseracing and thoroughbred breeding industry in Britain, supporting work in social welfare, education, training and participation, horse welfare, equine science research, and heritage and culture.