BBC Sports Personality Of The Year Betting 2009

BBC Sports Personality of the Year betting 2009 provides all us sports betting-obsessed nuts with yet another platform on which to pit our online betting acumen against the internet bookies out there, who are - as we speak - amending their initial odds, prices and markets compilations on this year's sports star-studded event. With a panel of over 30 leading sport experts representing a broad body of sports editors from acknowledged UK-based publications selecting the nominees based on a far-reaching criteria as from November the 2nd up until Friday 13th November 2009, the final short-list of the 10 contenders will be announced on Monday 15th November this year. It's from this list that the general public have the opportunity to vote on who they believe is the worthy candidate to be handed the title of BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2009.

This year's gala event will be held and broadcast from the Sheffield Arena, only the fourth time in successive years that the glittering awards ceremony has been staged outside of London, having successfully been regionally presented at Birmingham's NEC for two years in 2007 and 2007, and then at the new Liverpool Echo Arena last year, helping to cement its new found moveable feast status.

Ryan Giggs Wins BBC Sports Personality Of The Year 2009 Award

All of us here at Free Betting Online would like to extend our congratulations to new BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner, Ryan Giggs on the announcement of the award going to the Manchester United legend at the end of this year's awards show from Sheffield. In the event, Giggs received the accolade and stunningly-crafted piece of sports silverware ahead of online Sports Personality of the Year betting 2009 bookies' favourite, Jenson Button and world champion heptathlete, Jessica Ennis. In what amounted to a clear shock in online bookmaking terms – with newly crowned F1 Drivers' Champ Jenson Button long-time bookies' favourite – receipt of the prize came as an equal surprise to Giggs who appeared genuinely lost for words when coming to the stage to be handed the Sports Personality of the Year 2009 award.

Manchester United's Ryan Giggs Shock Sports Personality Winner According To Online Bookies

The 36-year old Manchester United winger-cum-midfielder has spent his entire footballing career at Old Trafford, and only earlier this year was presented with the PFA Players' Player of the Year award by his fellow professional footballer, again to almost bewilderment by one of the most enduring and loyal servants the game has ever known. Moreover, Giggs becomes only the fifth footballer to have ever picked up the BBC Sports Personality gong, despite the game's best exponents often being nominated over the years. It was this near predictability that insists a footballer never receives the award, that prompted many online Sports Personality of the Year betting 2009 bookmakers to overlook Giggs' chances for the large part, in spite of a late run of money being exchanged.

The following were the main recipients of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2009 awards;

Winner – Ryan Giggs, footballer

Runner-up – Jenson Button, Formula One champion

Third place – Jessica Ennis, world champion heptathlete

BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Young Sports Personality – Tom Daley, swimming

BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Coach of the Year – Fabio Capello, England football manager

BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Team of the Year – Andrew Strauss, England cricket team

BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award – Seve Ballesteros, golf

Sports Personality Of The Year 2009 Shortlist Is Unveiled

Early in December – and roughly a fortnight before the show is to be broadcast live on air – the BBC has announced the final shortlist of competitors who will ultimately vie for the title. Successfully representing a diverse cross-section of sports, eight sportsmen and two sportswomen will go head-to-head to capture the definitive vote of the great British sports loving public on the night in question.

26 sports editors, employed by national and regional newspapers and magazines whittled the number of potential shortlist nominees down to the final 10 we now have listed before us, leaving the general public to pick up the phone during the live show and determine just which sports person they believe has done the most to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2009 as part of the celebratory show's traditional culmination.

Hosted by Sheffield Arena for the first time in its history, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2009 awards ceremony is set to be attended by 11,000 people; which will amount to the annual show's largest ever audience when it goes out live on the evening of Sunday the 13^th December 2009, between 7pm and 9pm on BBC1.

Internet Bookies Suggest Jenson Button And Ryan Giggs Lead The BBC Sports Personality Of The Year Betting 2009 Way

According to the Sports Personality of the Year betting 2009 markets, the sensible money is on Jenson Button, however beyond the new Formula One Drivers' Champion a lot of online sports betting people are backing Ryan Giggs in recognition of his enduringly successful Manchester United career that still shows no signs of slowing down. If you're looking for an alternative BBC Sports Personality of the Year betting 2009 punt, then David Haye represents good value for money with a number of the web's leading sports betting bookmakers who have opened special virtual books on the event, whilst as an outsider Andy Murry could pull something out of the bag on the night itself and surprise the current markets.

In no particular order of preference, the following high profile sports men and women have been nominated to face the TV viewers' vote on December the 13^th in Sheffield;

Jenson Button – Priced at 100/1 with the online motor racing bookies to win the Formula One Drivers' Championship in January 2009, the Brawn GP driver didn't even know if he had an F1 car or team to compete in/for as recently as March this last year, yet went on to famously win the 2009 Driver's crown and ensure that his team – Brawn GP – collected the Constructor's Championship into the bargain. Securing pole position in six of those first seven F1 Grand Prix grids at the start of the season, Button went on to win the title, relieving fellow Brit – and reigning F1 champ, Lewis Hamilton – of the title and enabling Britain to have its first back-to-back F1 wins in five decades.

Mark Cavendish – The Manxman rode into the professional cycling history books earlier this year by way of notching up six stage wins in the Tour de France, even claiming the honour of being the first Brit to emerge victorious in the final Paris stage jersey. Cavendish also posted great individual and team performances in the Giro d'Italia and the Milan-San Remo Classic races at various points of the season to ensure his Sports Personality of the Year nomination for 2009.

Tom Daley – At an amazing 15 years and 61 days of age, diving schoolboy Tom Daley became a world champion in his particular high board discipline this year, and underlined why he's an odds on favourite to grab some swimming pool golds at the 2012 London Olympics in the eyes of many leading online sports betting bookies. The 10-metre platform event in Rome earlier in 2009 provided the opportunity for Daley to outshine Olympic champion Matt Mitcham, as a perfect final dive resulted in him grabbing first place in an otherwise outstanding field.

Jessica Ennis – She might have sadly missed out on Beijing Olympics glory – sidelined with injury – yet the track star put in a golden performance at this year's World Athletics Championship to cement her place in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year reckoning. Sheffield-born Ennis led the heptathlon from start to finish in Berlin, taking the honours in the 100 metres hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 metres, long jump, javelin and 800 metres, recording a personal best score of 6,731 points on her way to World Athletics Championship victory and inclusion in the Beeb's shortlist.

David Haye – Has done his reputation no harm whatsoever in 2009 by claiming the title of heavyweight champion of the world. Or rather the WBA version of events. The Hayemaker's gallant efforts against the 'beast from the east' Nikolai Valuev in Germany in October, ensured that the Bermondsey-born ex-welterweight champion became a massive box office draw almost overnight. With potential opponents now queuing up to put Haye's mettle to the test in 2010, the future looks belt-iful for Britain's sixth ever world heavyweight champ.

Phillips Idowu – Triple jumper Idowu emulated Ennis' gold medal-winning achievements in the 2009 World Athletics Championships, catapulting himself to a personal best of 17 metres and 73 centimetres; proving impressive consolation after finishing short of an Olympic gold at Beijing in 2008. As omens go, being presented with a triple jump gold by former medallist and BBC Sports personality winner – Jonathan Edwards – could well count for something come the 13^th of December.

Andrew Strauss – Steered England to a famous Ashes test series victory in a memorable summer of cricket in 2009, with the nature of the win over old adversaries Australia ensuring Strauss received the player of the series award. A cool customer as always, England's opening batsman literally led from the front, topping the run-scoring charts with 474 and averaging 52. Chalking up an innings of 161 at Lords also secured the highest score of the entire five test series and little did he know at the time inadvertently doing his Sports Personality of the Year cause no harm whatsoever in the process.

Beth Tweddle – Is officially Britain's greatest ever gymnast. Fact. At the World Championships she secured the gold medal position in front of a partisan home crowd who filled the O2 Arena to witness Tweddle's stunning achievements. All the more impressive when learning that it came days after falling on her favoured bar routine. Not one to labour on misfortune Tweddle jumped back into the saddle so to speak and produced a breathtaking performance to leave the competition standing.

Ryan Giggs – Has been there, seen that and done just about everything there is to do in club football, whilst wearing the famous red shirt of Manchester United. One of those rare one-club players throughout his career to date, the 36-year winger-cum-midfielder is as versatile and evergreen now as he was when he burst on the scene as a fresh-faced Fergie youngster back in 1992. the most decorated player in English football history, Giggs possess' 11 Barclays Premier League winners medals as well as Champions League, FA Cup and Football League Cup silverware, and is the current PFA Player of the Year which he won – surprisingly only for the first time - in April this year. He's played in excess of 800 times for the Red Devils over 19 years and scored 150 goals for the club to date.

Andy Murray – Six tournament wins – including his first Queen's victory – along with a sterling performance in SW19 ended only by Andy Roddick in Wimbledon's semi-finals and a quarter-final appearance in the French Open helped the still only 22-year old Murray reach the career best heights of world number two in 2009. The highest ever ranking by a British tennis player. As strength becomes an increasingly focused part of his game alongside his technical ability and speed, Murray looks set to go that little bit further and grab that elusive grand slam title in 2010 according to the experts and his legions of British tennis fans.

Jenson Button Dominates BBC Sports Personality Of The Year Betting

Early contenders (according to virtual bookmakers fronting their own BBC Sports Personality of the Year betting 2009 sections) who might well be jostling to receive the ultimate honour of BBC Sports Personality of the Year as the climax to the awards show which will be televised live on Sunday 13th December 2009 are listed below. Whilst this is not an exhaustive selection of the candidates who the online betting industry think will be in with a shout of walking off with the silverware, it affords punters hoping to back a winner in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year betting 2009 markets the clearest indication as to who stands a realistic chance of following the 2008 winner, Olympic pursuit cyclist, Chris Hoy. Who if you recall was in some quarters of the interactive Betting community deemed something of a shock winner, given Lewis Hamilton's stunning Formula One adventures also witnessed last year.

On that score, the internet betting markets are buzzing with the general consensus that newly installed 2009 Formula 1 Driver's Champion, Jenson Button, is the overwhelming favourite to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2009, in light of his recent ascension of F1-winning driver to replace 2008's victor (yup, Lewis Hamilton) to record back-to-back F1 Drivers Championship wins for Brits. With his explosive start to the F1 season, it was only a matter of weeks before Button was being talked up as a potential winner of the much sought after sports award, having accumulated a handful of wins and amassed a bagful of Championship points to strengthen his early season claims for inclusion in the end of year TV betting event. Yet at Sao Paulo he did all that he had to so as to land the ultimate motor racing title and write his very own chapter in the history books in the process.

David 'The Hayemaker' Haye Makes Last Minute Sports Personality Running After Gaining WBA Title

Also making strong last minute claims for the title is Britain's newest heavyweight boxing world champion, David 'The Hayemaker' Haye, who only in November challenged and defeated the Russian giant, Nikolai Valuev on a points decision after getting the better of the 7' 2" goliath throughout the 12 rounds contested in Nuremburg, Germany, to lift the WBA belt and announce his arrival on the heavyweight boxing scene.

This year online punters have been almost spoilt for choice as Britain's illustrious sports stars have consistently upped the global sporting bar with a back catalogue of outstanding personal and team performances behind them, and more pertinently that the voting viewers have the arduous task of looking back on as they cast their individual votes.

Current Betting Odds On BBC Sports Personality Of The Year Award

Jenson Button 11/10 favourite with Bet365

Ryan Giggs 11/4 second favourite with SkyBet

Jessica Ennis 9/2 with Boylesports

David Haye 12/1 with Betfred

Andrew Strauss 16/1 with SportingBet

Mark Cavendish 40/1 with Victor Chandler

Beth Tweddle 50/1 with Blue Square

Tom Daley 80/1 with Paddy Power

Andy Murray 100/1 with 888sport

Phillips Idowu 100/1 with Ladbrokes

As we mentioned above, Chris Hoy is the current holder of the BBC sports accolade, which is the eventual highlight of a ceremony that proffers 7 other awards in the build-up to the presenting of the top gong, including those of BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year Award, BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award, BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award, BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award, BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year and BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award.

England's Ashes Winning Cricketers Dead Cert To Be Named BBC Sports Personality Team Of The Year

The BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year Award was picked up by the British Olympic Cycling Team for their thoroughly deserved velodrome endeavours at the Beijing Olympics. However if last year was all about our returning Olympians along with their treasure chest of bronze, silver and gold medals, then 12 months down the line focus instead turns to our cricketers judging by the three who appear high up the BBC Sports Personality of the Year betting 2009 order. With England's hard-won Ashes Series victory still fresh in the minds of many sports betting fans amongst us, it's probably no surprise to note Andrew Strauss, Stuart Broad and most deserved of the lot, Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff being referenced in glowing terms by the online betting industry. Courtesy of Flintoff and Broad's gallant and somewhat swashbuckling performances at the crease during a summer of high cricketing drama between England and our oldest adversaries, Australia, we eventually romped home with the famous urn and with it established a new confidence that had been missing for too long.

Looking elsewhere, and the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year - having been justifiably awarded to the fastest man on the planet, Usain Bolt in 2008 - might well repeat that self same admission this time around, whilst it's still anyone's guess as to who will collect the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award - was handed to Bobby Charlton last year in recognition of his ambassadorial roles in sport generally and his beloved football and Manchester United in particular - and the other key acknowledgements.

Past Winners Of BBC Sports Personality Of The Year Award

Whoever lifts the trophy will certainly be following in famous sporting footsteps as luminaries of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award read as a who's who of British sporting greats and include Henry Cooper (heavyweight boxing – twice), Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean (ice figure skating), Steve Davis (snooker), Liz McColgan (athletics), Nigel Mansell (F1 motor racing - twice), Damon Hill (F1 motor racing - twice), Stirling Moss (F1 motor racing), Bobby Moore (World Cup winning football), HRH Princess Anne (equestrian), Mary Peters (athletics), Jackie Stewart (F1 motor racing), Virginia Wade (tennis), Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe (athletics), Robin Cousins (ice skating), Ian Botham (cricket), Daley Thompson (athletics), Barry McGuigan (boxing), Fatima Whitbread (athletics), Nick Faldo (golf), Paul Gascoigne (football), Linford Christie (athletics), Lennox Lewis (boxing), Steve Redgrave (rowing), David Beckham (football), Paula Radcliffe (athletics), Jonny Wilkinson (rugby), Andrew Flintoff (cricket), HRH Zara Phillips (equestrian) and Joe Calzaghe (boxing).