Best sports documentary

This award recognises the best example of responsible and well-researched documentary making. The focus may be profiling an individual athlete, sport, team, coach or issue. Entries can be a standalone documentary or a series.

Winner

Came From Nowhere: Australia’s Most Controversial Football Club, SBS

Came From Nowhere investigated the controversial origins of the Western Sydney Wanderers. It’s the story of how a team of cast-offs and ‘reject’ players ultimately awoke a fan base and drew the ire of the media and police alike, only to claim a seemingly impossible prize on the world stage. The film goes to the heart of multiculturalism in Australia and the uncomfortable tension that lies between celebrating diverse communities and deriding them when they don’t conform. But it also shows the power of football in shaping a community’s sense of identity.

Finalists

Beyond the Dream: Forged in Steel, Nine Network / Paralympics Australia / Good Shout

Beyond The Dream: Forged In Steel provides unprecedented access to the Australian Steelers Wheelchair Rugby Team as they deal with raw emotions, intense competition and personal sacrifices to fight for their Paralympic dreams. Co-produced by Nine’s Wide World of Sports, Paralympics Australia and independent studio Good Shout, the documentary crew embedded with the Steelers (and their loved ones) in their homes and non-sporting workplaces, as well as their high performance environments in the lead-up to Paris 2024. It was a groundbreaking documentary for Paralympic sport, providing a unique insight into the lives of elite athletes with a disability.

GO BIG: The story of the Canberra Capitals, LGR Productions / Studio 94

GO BIG uncovers the legacy of Australia’s most successful women’s basketball program as they pursue their first-ever three-peat amidst a global pandemic. Starring and executive-produced by basketball icon Lauren Jackson, GO BIG offers an exclusive, all-access look at the Capitals’ journey through the 2020 WNBL hub season while showcasing the team’s historical off-court achievements, including Jackson’s $1,000,000 contract – a groundbreaking milestone marked by injury and a personal journey through recovery and mental health. It’s a powerful call to action for fully professional opportunities in women’s sports, celebrating resilience, ambition and inclusivity.

The Greatest Little Club on Earth, Onion TV / Paramount + Originals

Against the backdrop of the current resurgence of the Central Coast, this documentary navigates the treacherous rise, subsequent falls and present-day rejuvenation of the Mariners. From the little club that could, to the team that did, and the darker periods in between, the boardroom becomes the battlefield as new ownership empowers the club to regain its glorious past, as well as writing its own narrative for a successful future. The decision to track the club’s journey over two years provides a more cerebral and in-depth perspective, while the documentary team experienced league-winning success three times in a row - an unprecedented stroke of luck.