By 
THE Chief Executive of Mid Ulster District Council, Adrian McCreesh, has firmly rejected claims that Dungannon Swifts and their manager Rodney McAree were ‘snubbed’ at the Sports Awards 2025, held recently at the Burnavon Hotel in Cookstown.
Mr McCreesh was responding at a recent council meeting after Cllr Clement Cuthbertson (DUP) said the club and its manager should have been recognised following the Swifts’ Irish Cup triumph in May, including a memorable victory over Cliftonville.
Dungannon Swifts were shortlisted for Team of the Year, but the award went instead to the Tyrone Under-20 football team.
Mr McAree was not nominated for an individual award.
Addressing the meeting, Cllr Cuthbertson said there was a strong public perception across the Dungannon area that the club’s achievements had been overlooked.
“The feeling from everyone in the town is clear,” he said. “A large number of people believe the awards have lost credibility as a result.”
He called for the working group responsible for the awards to reconvene urgently to review the process, warning that without changes the future of the Sports Awards should be reconsidered.
However, Mr McCreesh strongly defended the integrity of the process, insisting that objective criteria and due process had been applied throughout.
“I do not accept the way the comments are being framed, particularly the suggestion that the team or manager were ‘snubbed’,” he said. “I reject that entirely on behalf of the officers and executive of this council.”
He said significant work had gone into organising the awards, which he described as consistently successful, and praised councillors and officers involved in their delivery.
He added that preparations were already well advanced for forthcoming Business and Environmental Awards.
Mr McCreesh acknowledged that feedback would always be considered.
“Nothing is perfect and everything evolves,” he said. “We are always willing to listen to constructive criticism and to learn from it.”
He confirmed the council was responding to a written request regarding the awards and said outcomes can sometimes be subjective, but must always be grounded in transparency and clear criteria.
“I have full confidence in the transparency and integrity of the process applied,” he concluded.
