Nominations invited for annual Mansfield sports awards

The event is held to find the district’s next big sporting stars to follow in the footsteps of local sport heroes, Rebecca Adlington, Ollie Hynd, Sam Hynd, Charlotte Henshaw, Ben and Tom Birchall, Elliot Clogg, and the many others who have represented Mansfield nationally and internationally, winning world titles and Commonwealth and Olympic medals.

The Armchair Club, with the support of More Leisure Community Trust and the News Journal, are behind the awards that recognise and celebrate outstanding achievements by sportspeople from throughout the community between 1st October 2022 to 30th September 2023.

Nominations are invited for 10 categories: Junior Team of the Year, Junior Sportsperson of the Year, Junior Sports Leader of the Year, Junior Disabled Sportsperson of the Year, Club of the Year, Disabled Sportsperson of the Year, Sportsperson of the Year, Coach of the Year, Team of the Year, and Volunteer of the Year, which also includes referees, officials, administrators etc.

A spokesperson said: “Do you know a person, a team or a club deserving recognition for their sporting achievements this past 12 months? Maybe a relative or a neighbour? If you are involved in sport in any way perhaps you are aware of an individual or a team or a club that ought to be considered? If so, please consider making a nomination.”

Deadline for nominations is 5pm on Friday, 3rd November. Further information and a nomination form to download are available by calling the Armchair Club on 07873 026009.

Nominations for this year’s awards are only being accepted by e-mail with a scanned or photographed application form and must include a photograph of the nominee, and preferably a 30/45 second video of the nominee in sporting action.

Postal applications are not being accepted.

Nominees must either live, or have lived, or pursue their sport within the district of Mansfield.

Charlotte Henshaw MBE won the main Mansfield Sportsperson of the Year award last year and will doubtless be among the leading candidates for this year too as she continues to impress on her way to selection for the Paris Olympics next year, which would be her fifth Paralympics in a row.

Her main achievements that earned her the current title were being crowned double ICF World Para Canoe Champion for the third time and winning gold medals in the VL3 200m –VA Category and the KL2 Kayak.

Since then she won the KL2 200 in the ICF Para Canoe World Championships in Germany, for the fifth time in a row - and eighth world title overall before landing KL2 200 gold and VL2 200 silver in the ICF World Cup in Paris.

The Armchair Club has been supporting local sports people and sporting clubs since 1982, making grants approaching almost £300,000 in the process.