2016 Leeds Sports Awards to inspire and celebrate the sporting achievements of our City

Sent on behalf of Banana Kick and the Leeds Sports Awards:

The date and venue for the 2016 Leeds Sports Awards have been confirmed.

The New Dock Hall at the Royal Armouries will provide the setting for the latest installment of our city’s celebration of sporting achievement and endeavour, which takes place on the evening of Thursday 3 March.

Thanks to the success and spirit of our city’s athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers, the Leeds Sports Awards continues to go from strength to strength.

Sport Leeds are also delighted to announce that the 2016 awards will be brought to you in association with Leeds Beckett University. The university is home to national, international and Olympic athletes and their coaches and continues to make a significant contribution to international sport through training camps, International sports scholarships, sports science research and sports performance support. The university’s sporting heritage can be traced back to 1933 when Carnegie Physical Training College was established.

Following the achievements of our athletes at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, they have built on this to impress in 2015 at major sporting events such as the inaugural European Games in Baku and World Championships, and have been ably supported by the exploits of our city’s professional and amateur sports clubs and athletes.

It’s no surprise that Leeds continues to be recognised as one of the UK’s most vibrant sporting cities.

The sensational athletes who represented Leeds at these major events, and those that have donated their time, skill and experience at grassroots level, have helped raise the sporting bar higher than ever before.

Councillor Lisa Mulherin, Leeds City Council’s executive member for health wellbeing and adults, and a member of the Sport Leeds Board, said: “We have had another fantastic year of sporting achievement in our city, and the Leeds Sports Awards are a great way in which we can come together to recognise and applaud the success of our local athletes.

“What is so powerful about these awards is that not only do we celebrate the accomplishments of our elite athletes and teams, we also say a big thank you to many unsung heroes who are doing such a wonderful job teaching and inspiring people of all ages and levels in an array of sporting fields.

“An amazing amount of hard work is undertaken day in, day out by so many people to help ensure Leeds continues to be a hub for sporting excellence and development, and if you think you know someone who deserves to be recognised, there is also the chance to nominate them for a Leeds Sports Award.”

Dr John Minten, Dean of the Carnegie Faculty and Pro Vice Chancellor at Leeds Beckett University, said: “As leaders in sport, it’s an honour for our university to be associated with the Leeds Sports Awards. Throughout our activities, from an academic, research and teaching perspective right through to coaching and student participation, sport is in our blood and part of who we are as a university.

“There is a lot of sporting talent out there in the city and I’m looking forward to celebrating the achievements of the athletes we all know and love, in addition to showcasing the young athletes and new talent coming through clubs of all types across the region.”

Our city has also hosted several major sporting events during the last 12 months, including the first ever Tour de Yorkshire and two Rugby World Cup games.

From elite athletes and teams, like the all-conquering Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Leeds Rhinos, to the raw endeavour and spirit of our champion coaches and volunteers, the Leeds Sports Awards are a true celebration of achievement at every level of sport.

Previous winners at the event include; Nicola Adams MBE (Boxing), the Brownlee brothers (Triathlon), Leeds Rhinos (Rugby), Yorkshire County Cricket Club (Cricket), Hannah Cockroft MBE (Athletics), City of Leeds Divers (Diving), amongst many other professional and amateur athletes, volunteers, coaches and more.

With the support of our partners the Leeds Sports Awards aims to nurture the next generation of achievers, while rewarding those who’ve already excelled.

Members of the public, coaches, volunteers and everyone involved in supporting our sporting stars in Leeds are invited to submit their nominations ahead of the Awards.

For more information, and to see a full list of Award categories to make your nominations, visit www.leedssportsawards.co.uk. Nominations close midnight 13^th December. The Awards will be judged by an independent panel of sporting partners from across the city.

If you’d like to join us at the ceremony and help us celebrate Leeds’ sporting achievements of the last 12 months, then please email Sarah.Crossley@leeds.gov.uk

Notes to Editor

Categories are:

Young achiever – under-18s

Young SportspersonYoung Disability SportspersonYoung Club/TeamJunior Sportsperson U14

Senior achiever – over-18sSportsmanSportswomanSportsman– Disability

Sportswoman- DisabilityClub/Team – ProfessionalClub/Team – Non-professional

Special Contribution

Student SportCoach – Participation

Coach – PerformanceSports VolunteerOutstanding Service to SportService to P.E. and School Sport

Nominations close midnight 13th December 2015.

Eligibility for Awards

• Individuals must either:- Live within the Leeds City Council boundaries- Represent a club or train within the Leeds City Council boundaries- Attend a University, College or School within the Leeds City Council boundaries• For coach participation (grassroots) or coach performance, both full and part-time coaches are eligible• For the club/team awards, the club/team must be based within the Leeds City Council boundaries• Young Sportsman (18 or under on 1st September 2015)• Young Sportswoman (18 or under on 1st September 2015)• Junior Sportsperson (Juniors aged 14 or under on 1st September 2015)

Sport Leeds

Sport Leeds are the body in the city which delivers the Leeds Sports Awards. They strive to make Leeds the most active big city by creating an environment in Leeds where sport and active recreation are enjoyed by as many people as possible, and to give our city healthier budgets, healthier people and healthier futures. Leeds has a fantastic track record of sporting achievement, with contributions from not just athletes, but thousands of people from all ages and backgrounds.

To find out more about the work Sport Leeds carries out, visit www.sportleeds.co.uk

Leeds Sports Awards

The Leeds Sports Awards, held annually, celebrate sporting talent, as well as volunteers, coaches and administrators from the City of Leeds. Now in its 13^th year.

www.leedssportsawards.co.uk

Banana Kick

Established in 2008, the agency now employs 40 full-time staff and works with clients including Genting Casinos, Asda, Kingstone Press, Provident, Nisa, Plusnet, and Run For All.

Banana Kick are creative partners and event management agency of the Leeds Sports Awards for the 5th year running.

W: www.bananakick.com

Leeds Beckett University

Leeds Beckett University is known for its sporting excellence, being second in the country for sport-related research (in the research power measure) and is one of the top 10 universities for student sport. The university contributes around £500m to the economy and has more than 25,000 students on programmes in Leeds.

www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk