SPOTY 2023 Odds: Six sports stars to watch out for this year

A feast of sporting action takes place in 2023, we’re talking The Ashes, Women’s World Cup, Rugby World Cup, the Ryder Cup, and of course annual staples such as the Masters, Wimbledon, Tour de France, Cheltenham, the Super Bowl, and let’s not forget the potential for some blockbuster boxing bouts.

England footballer Beth Mead was only crowned 2022 Sports Personality of the Year a month ago, but already bookmakers are offering odds on the 2023 victor.

Given that there's a whole year of sport ahead of us, there’s some definite value to be had in the SPOTY odds, so we’ve picked out six sports stars that are well worth keeping an eye on throughout the year.

Ben Stokes: 10/1

We’ll kick off proceedings with a recent winner, Ben Stokes (2019), who finished runner-up to Beth Mead in 2022 after what was another stunning year for the cricketer. As skipper, he propelled England to superb Test wins over Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa, and you’ll need no reminding of his sensational match-winning innings in the World T20 final.

Further glory could await Stokes in an Ashes year, with the 73rd Series between famous old foes England and Australia taking place in Blighty this summer. England have a superb record at home in the Ashes, winning all four series between 2005 and 2015, while the 2019 contest was a draw, so they are unbeaten since 2001. 

• 2023 Ashes Odds

With the inspirational Stokes as captain, England will definitely fancy their chances of reclaiming the urn this summer. At the time of writing, he’s as short as 11/2 to win SPOTY but Boylesports offer a double-figure price of 10/1.

Rory McIlroy: 22/1

Rory McIlroy has four more opportunities this year to add to his Major collection which has surprisingly remained static since his fourth success back in 2014.

It’s certainly not through a lack of effort, since claiming the 2014 PGA Championship  McIlroy has amassed 17 top-10s in 30 Majors, including nine top-5s. Remarkably, last year he finished runner-up at the Masters, 8th at the PGA Championship, T5 at the US Open, and 3rd at The Open.

The 33-year-old is not so much knocking on the door, but attempting to smash it to pieces with his driver. So, is 2023 the year he finally scoops another Major? We certainly hope so! At the time of writing, the World No.1 is the bookmakers’ favourite in each of the betting markets for glory in the four Majors, including The Masters which gets underway in April.

It’s worth noting that this is a Ryder Cup year too, so the Northern Irishman also has the chance to win the famous competition for the fifth time in his career.

Surprisingly McIlroy, 22/1 for SPOTY with bet365, has never won the award and only finished in the top-3 once - 2nd in 2014 - but there’s some real potential for him to be bang in the mix in 2023.

Leah Williamson: 25/1

After no SPOTY winner in 78 years of the award, could we now see back-to-back women’s footballer winners in Beth Mead (2022 victor) and…Leah Williamson?

Well, it’s a World Cup year and the Lionesses are one of the favourites following their groundbreaking success at the European Championships last summer.

The cool, calm, and collected Williamson expertly skippered England to Euros glory and was perhaps unfortunate not to be in the mix for the 2022 SPOTY, which went to her teammate Mead. 

However, Williamson looks a very decent price at 25/1 in the 2023 SPOTY market, and you can expect those odds to shorten should her club side, Arsenal, claim any trophies this season and England go on to triumph in the 2023 Women’s World Cup over in Australia and New Zealand.

Owen Farrell: 40/1

The sport of Rugby Union has only ever produced one SPOTY champ which, of course, was Jonny Wilkinson in 2003 after England won their first World Cup.

20 years later and could we see another fly-half/inside centre propel his country to glory at the 2023 World Cup in France?

England captain since 2019, the year ahead could be huge for Farrell, who is third in the all-time leading test point scorers, having amassed over 1000 points throughout his international career to date.

• Rugby World Cup Odds
• Six Nations Odds

A 40/1 outsider in the early SPOTY odds, but the 31-year-old even thinks about kicking England to glory at the World Cup there’s an upcoming Six Nations tournament to win.

Since claiming back-to-back wins in 2016 and 2017, England have won only once (2020) and have lost more games than they’ve won in the last two editions, so it goes without saying that tweaks need to be made.

Now overseen by new head coach, Steve Borthwick, it will be interesting to see how England fare in next month's Six Nations, which will be a good indicator of where they stand ahead of September’s World Cup.

Cameron Norrie: 50/1

No British Sportsperson has won more SPOTY awards than Andy Murray who has a record three triumphs: 2013, 2015, and 2016. Murray and his metal hip continue to conjure up moments of true brilliance, but arguably Cameron Norrie is Britain’s most likely male candidate for a Grand Slam winner this year.

• Wimbledon Odds

The British No.1 memorably reached the Wimbledon semi-finals last year where he raced into a 6-2 lead over Novak Djokovic only to lose in four sets to the eventual SW19 champion.

Out at 50/1 in the SPOTY odds, Norrie is hovering around the top-10 in the men’s game and will be gunning to build on 2022 by orchestrating serious challenges in the latter stages of Slams, starting with the Australian Open which is now underway in Melbourne.

For those wondering, Murray is 66/1 to win his fourth SPOTY.

Bukayo Saka: 66/1

If you’re after a big price, Bukayo Saka at 66/1 (William Hill/Boylesports) seems very appealing given that his superb individual form is entwined with Arsenal becoming the new favourites to win the Premier League title.

It’s something that has eluded The Gunners since way back in 2004, but at the half-way stage of the season they enjoy a healthy lead at the summit of the table.

Saka has played a pivotal part in the club’s progress this season and, should Arsenal go all the way, expect his name to be fired right into the cauldron for SPOTY 2023.

There has only been one male football winner since David Beckham in 2003 - Ryan Giggs, 2009 - but after seeing fellow Gunner Beth Mead win last year, the affable Saka will be worth monitoring in the market.