The hunt starts today to find the best sports stars in Kirklees ... and those who do amazing work behind the scenes.
Nominations are being sought for the Kirklees Community Sports Awards, promoted by the Examiner and run in conjunction with Huddersfield Town Football Club.
The awards will take place on Friday, November 10 at the John Smith’s Stadium and will recognise sports teams in the area, as well as celebrate the often unseen work done by volunteers and those around the clubs and societies.
The event is partnered in association with Lowdhams, Ubisoft and Legacy Sport.
Categories include the Kirklees Sports Legend, Sports Personality of The Year, Young Sports Personality, Sports Team of the Year and Sports Official of the Year. Other categories included in the awards include Sports Club and Sports Teacher of the Year, an award around Outstanding Services to Sport, the Most Improved Team and the Disabled Athlete of the Year.
Commercial Director at Huddersfield Town Football Club Sean Jarvis said: “We are delighted to launch this year’s awards following the success of the annual event in 2016. The awards are a real celebration of local sport and chance to thank those who make sporting successes of our local clubs and societies. Last year’s event was another huge night of local sport and we will be making it even bigger and better this year. I would like to urge any of our local sports clubs to enter this year’s awards as there are so many people out there who deserve to be recognised for their efforts.”
The panel of judges will be announced in the coming weeks and is set to include some of the biggest names in their respective fields, all with a connection to the Kirklees area.
Nominations forms can be downloaded from www.htafccommercial.co.uk and should be posted to:
Kirklees Community Sports Awards
C/O Huddersfield Town AFC
The John Smith’s Stadium
Stadium Way
Huddersfield
HD1 6PX
For more information about the Kirklees Community Sports Awards visit www.htafccommercial.co.uk
Here are the full list of awards:
1, Kirklees Sports Legend
This is a person who has taken sport locally to an exceptional level and has inspired many others to achieve similar levels of excellence. The winner will probably be a professional sportsman or woman but could even be an amateur.
2, Sports Personality of the Year (amateur/open age)
The winner will be a sportsman or woman who has made a name for themselves either over the last year or over a long period of time.
3, Young Sports Personality
A person aged 18 or under who has excelled at their chosen sport. The winner may have already won several competitions or come from nowhere to make a major impact through the high calibre of their performances. They will be inspirational to other young people.
4, Sports Team of the Year
The team could be from any sport and don’t forget that school teams are also eligible for this category. They will be proven winners or have overcome great odds to reach a high level.
5, Sports Official
Sports clubs throughout Kirklees rely on unsung heroes and heroines to keep going. They may hold specific roles such as treasurer or secretary or hold several tasks and are the ‘backbone’ of their sports organisations and someone so many people rely on to ensure their club thrives … or even simply survives.
6, Sports Club
This category is open to clubs who have become real community hubs. Sport is all about enjoyment and the chance to compete and the winner of this category will have gone that extra mile to prove that sport really is for all.
7, Sports Teacher
Everyone remembers an inspirational teacher and there are countless across Kirklees who do so much above and beyond their jobs to make sure their pupils have every chance to take part in sport. We want to hear about these very special people who play such a crucial role in young people’s lives.
8, Outstanding Services to Sport
The winner will be someone who has gone well above what is expected to make their sport or sports club an outstanding success. They could be a player, an administrator, a sports official, a sports fan or a club member.
9, Most Improved Club/Team
Everyone likes a ‘rag to riches’ story and we want to hear about a team that has turned itself around. It may have lost every game but never lost faith and then started to win. It’s what sport is all about – that never-say-die spirit and that determination to keep competing no matter what.
10, Disabled Athlete of the Year
In recent years the Paralympics have highlighted the amazing levels disabled athletes can now attain and there are many people with physical or learning disabilities throughout Kirklees who are excelling at sport. We want to hear about them.
