[1] It was first presented in 1989, and was conceived by Graham Sharpe of William Hill, and John Gaustad, founder of the Sports Pages bookshop.

[4] As of 2020, the judging panel is chaired by Alyson Rudd and includes retired professional footballer and former chairman of the Professional Footballer’s Association, Clarke Carlisle; five-time Olympic medallist and rower Dame Katherine Grainger; broadcaster and writer John Inverdale; broadcaster Danny Kelly and journalist and broadcaster Mark Lawson.

[5] In 2010, Duncan Hamilton, a winner twice in the previous three years, was again included in the shortlist,[6] although on this occasion, when the award was announced on 30 November in London, the prize was won by Brian Moore, the former England rugby union international, for his autobiography, Beware of the Dog.

[7] In 2011, there was a "surprise inclusion" to the shortlist of Engage: The Fall and Rise of Matt Hampson,[8] a biography of quadriplegic Matt Hampson, by 1990 winner Paul Kimmage, despite it not being included on the longlist.

[citation needed] Duncan Hamilton is the only author to have won the award three times, first in 2007, second in 2009 and most recently in 2019.