TWO sports stars with West Fife connections have been shortlisted for accolades at a prestigious national awards ceremony later this month.

Former Pitreavie AAC star Eilidh Doyle and ex-Dunfermline Tennis Club player Alessia Palmieri have both been put forward for prizes at the 2023 Scottish Women in Sport Awards.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the prizegiving ceremony aims to recognise and celebrate the hard work, dedication and commitment that enables young girls and women to participate in every aspect of sporting life.

Awards will be presented in 10 categories, and both Doyle and Palmieri are in the running in two of them.

READ MORE: Former Pitreavie star Eilidh lauds athletics volunteers

Olympic, European and Commonwealth medallist Doyle is one of three finalists in the Cameron Commercials 'Pioneer in Sport' category.

And she is also in the running to be inducted into the Scottish Women in Sport Hall of Fame.

Organisers say that the award recipient will be "a woman who, through her work in sport, which may have largely gone unrecognised, whether on or off the field, has empowered and inspired women and girls to participate in sport today".

Doyle is joined in the awards by tennis coach Palmieri, who is a finalist in the Coach of the Year category.

She has already been recognised this year by Tennis Scotland and the Lawn Tennis Association, being named their Development Coach of the Year by both organisations for her work with Fossoway Tennis Club, in her home village of Crook of Devon.

Despite the club having just one court, and no clubhouse facility, Alessia has development tennis programmes for kids and adults alike, growing its membership to around 370.

Following that success, Palmieri, who pre-COVID had been coaching in the United States, said: "COVID brought me home to my home village and I just wanted to make tennis available for everyone in the community.

"Because why should we miss out on all the different things? We've now got cardio, we've got mums groups, we've got LTA Youth Start, everything.

"I just tried to bring it all together and give everyone the opportunity and then it just took off. I went full-time as soon as the courts reopened.

"Everyone wanted lessons with it being the first sport you could do in the pandemic, so that helped, and then it's the whole community spirit. I know all the parents and the kids. I can just call on them at the last minute and say, 'Hey, do you want to do a little fun match play this weekend? Or hey, do you want to come and try tennis 20-minute taster sessions?'

"We've got the whole school playing tennis, it's great."

In the sportscotland Sportswoman of the Year category, cyclist Katie Archibald, the partner of late Dunfermline cycling star, Rab Wardell, has been shortlisted alongside fellow cyclist, Neah Evans, and triathlete, Beth Potter.

The Scottish Women in Sport Awards, which last year saw Pitreavie AAC win the MG Alba 'Sporting Champion of the Year' prize, take place on Friday November 24 in Glasgow.