Athletics Northern Ireland Launch 2018 Awards & Commonwealth Games Celebration

Coach Development Lead Laura Kerr explained; “On the 28th September 2018, Athletics Northern Ireland will host a Commonwealth Games Celebration in conjunction with our Annual Awards. Taking place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Belfast, the evening will honour our 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games athletes and their coaches. Athletics Northern Ireland are tremendously proud of the performances our Senior and Youth Athletes have produced in the past 12 months and recognise the valuable contribution of coaches in preparation and planning. Athletics in Northern Ireland is currently thriving and we believe our current athletes and coaches play a valuable role in inspiring the nation.”

The awards will also celebrate the often unsung heroes of Athletics in Northern Ireland - the coaches, volunteers and officials who put in a remarkable effort throughout the year. Athletics NI invite online nominations from parents, athletes, clubs and community groups who wish to recognise the valuable contribution of a coach, official or volunteer in the following categories.

Coaching

• Participation/ Community Coach of the Year

• Development Coach of the Year

• Young Coach of the Year

(These awards will be presented at the Annual Coaching Conference on Saturday 29th September 2018.)

Officials

• Official of the Year  

(This award will be determined by the Athletics NI Officials Committee)

Volunteers

• Volunteer of the Year  

• Young Volunteer of the Year (up to 25 years)

(Winners to be determined by the judging panel from the nominations received. Please note it will be the quality of the nomination that the judges will base their selection on, not the number of individual nominations)

Online Nominations

The following performance coaching awards will be presented to coaches based on the performances of their athletes in the 2017-2018 season (beginning September 2017.) Nominations are not required in these categories as a statistical review of athlete performances will take place.

• Performance Coach of the Year  

• Junior Performance Coach of the Year  

• Disability Performance Coach of the Year

• Junior Disability Performance Coach of the Year

Athletics NI will also recognise the 2017 & 2018 Northern Ireland record breakers (U20/Senior) and major championship athletes and their coaches. In addition to a three course meal the evening will include highlights of Northern Ireland athletes in action both at home and abroad, a keynote speech and an opportunity for coaches and athletes to receive a momento recognising their achievements.  Tickets will be distributed to award winners in due course and we look forward to bringing the athletics community together to celebrate recent successes.

Notes & Criteria for Online Nomination

• Performance coaching awards do not require online nomination and coaches will be assessed for these awards based on international performances of their athletes

• Submissions for those awards requiring online nomination must be submitted online HERE and criteria for these awards are available to download in the PDF attached at the bottom of this page
• An individual may be nominated in more than one category but a separate online nomination must be completed each time
• Nominations should include evidence to support and illustrate the impact of the candidate in the category specified. The evidence should be supported with facts and figures where possible
• The judging panel can only take into account information supplied on the nomination form
• The number of times an individual or club is nominated has no bearing on the outcome. Decisions are made purely on merit based on the quality of information presented during the nomination process
• Athletics NI Staff / Board members are not eligible for awards
• The winners of the coaching awards will go forward to be nominated for the 2019 Sport NI Awards
• Nominations close on 31st August 2018

Athletics NI Award Nomination Criteria