Sport NI SportMaker Award Nominations Now Open!

19 June 2020

Sport NI SportMaker Award Nominations Now Open!

Athletics Northern Ireland are encouraging as many nominations as possible for the Sport Northern Ireland SportMaker Awards. The SportMaker Awards are all about shining a light on the local sporting workforce- the people and projects that make sport happen. It’s your chance to say thank you and to recognise the outstanding contribution of coaches, officials, volunteers and projects and the role they play in encouraging people to benefit from the power of sport.

Club coaches, officials and the wider volunteering family have continued to play an instrumental role in supporting and keeping our communities and athletes active over the past twelve months, and more recently, as the world adjusts to the new ways of working, exercising and developing others during the coronavirus pandemic.

2019-sportmaker-emmamccaydisabilitycoach.jpg2019 Young Coach of the Year- Emma McCay

Nominations can be made by members of the public across six award categories for coaches, two award categories for officials, two award categories for volunteers and one category for SportMaker projects:

Awards for Coaches

  • Children’s Coach of the Year
  • Community Coach of the Year
  • Young Coach of the Year
  • Disability Coach of the Year
  • Performance Pathway Coach of the Year
  • Club Performance Coach of the Year

Awards for Officials

  • Technical Official of the Year
  • Young Technical Official of the Year

Awards for Volunteers

  • Volunteer of the Year
  • Young Volunteer of the Year

Awards for SportMaker Project

  • Project of the Year

A High Performance Coach of the Year award may also be presented in 2020. Sport Northern Ireland will seek nominations directly from governing bodies of sport for this category.

Director of Coaching and Athlete Development, Jackie Newton explains; “I am delighted to see six coaching award categories in this year’s awards. The Sport Maker national awards are a great way for athletes, parents and clubs to recognise the important and appreciated work that coaches do across all stages of the pathway. Athletics is a sport that always features well in the nominations across the different categories and we are proud that so many of our athletes feel compelled to nominate their dedicated coaches.  As an organisation, we will also put forward several of the award winners from our own 2019 Coaching Awards and encourage others to take the time to make nominations and help to raise the profile of athletics."

2019-sportmaker-davidmarrstechnicalofficial.jpg2019 Technical Official of the Year- David Marrs

Director of Business & Operations, Kerry Woods stated that: “It is great to see the Sport NI SportMaker Awards returning for 2020, as these are a brilliant opportunity to say thank-you to all those in the athletics community who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes, particularly throughout the lock down period. Coaches, officials and volunteers play a vital role in promoting sport in their local communities and this has been even more evident in the current situation, as the sporting workforce have taken to various online platforms to help people stay active and connected in their homes.”

How to Nominate:

All nominations must be submitted through the designated online system. To begin completing your nomination, please click here

Further Information and Guidance:

For further information and guidance on the SportNI SportMaker Awards, including category criteria and completing the online nomination process, please click here

The deadline for the submission of all nominations is Friday 10th July 2020.