Organised by Littlehampton Sports Forum and Littlehampton Town Council, the awards are a chance for the town’s best and brightest sports stars to gain recognition for all their hard work. The awards will be judged by a panel and winners will be announced at an invitation-only ceremony hosted by professional snooker player John Virgo at the Coco Lounge, in Clifton Road, on Monday, October 6. Malcolm Belchamber, Littlehampton town councillor and chairman of the sports forum, said: “I think it is something we should promote to get some new faces out there, also, it can give encouragement not only to youngsters but also to older people to take their sport to the next level. “It is up to trainers and organisers to focus on their members and put them forward.” There are ten different awards nominees can be chosen for, including sportsperson of the year, young sportsperson of the year, coach of the year, sports team of the year, administrator of the year, contribution to youth sports and contribution to disabled sports. Also awarded is the lifetime contribution to sport award and the unsung hero award that seeks to acknowledge those who have made invaluable non-sport-related contributions in the last 12 months. Last year’s winners included the Littlehampton Swimming Club’s senior men’s swimming relay squad, who were named sports team of the year, and Colin Treagus, of Littlehampton Cricket Club, who was awarded the unsung hero award. Gary Haines, 46, director of the Coco Lounge, said he is supporting the event as he represented Littlehampton Town FC when he was younger and the awards are a great way of giving something back to sport in the area. The awards are sponsored by local businesses and nominees can be any sporting hero who has excelled at a local, national or international level. Nominations can be made online at www.littlehampton-tc.gov.uk or by picking up a nomination form from the town council offices, in Church Street.
