Andy to help our search for sports heroes of 2017
The Sunday Mail and sportscotland Scottish Sports Awards are entering their second decade – and this year the Strathearn Herald is right behind them.
We’re joining five-times Scotland’s Sports Personality of the Year winner Sir Andy Murray in a quest to find the country’s best.
And we have plenty of rivals for him to fight off as he defends his 2016 title.
We’re also shining a light on those who keep sport alive in Scotland – the local heroes, local clubs and schools who are the heartbeat of their communities.
And we want to put them on stage alongside the icons they help create.
For every world and European champion, for every Katie Archibald on a bike or Elise Christie on skates, there’s a coach or a volunteer who has helped them earn that medal around their neck and achieve their dream.
So as we launch the search this week, we need your thoughts on the best our region has to offer from the podium all the way down to the grassroots.
Murray said: “It’s great to be involved – Scotland will always be somewhere I hold close to my heart and these awards mean an awful lot to me.
“The people have always been incredible, most of them have been in terms of supporting me and I’m incredibly proud that I’ve been able to repay that support in what I’ve achieved over the course of my career. “I look at some of the Lifetime Achievement winners at these awards over the years and realise just how special a place it is at times. “Guys like Kenny Dalglish, Sir Jackie Stewart, the Lisbon Lions - but if I had to pick anyone I’ve looked up through my own career it would be Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Chris Hoy. “Both were unbelievably talented and incredibly successful in their respective fields.” Murray’s story isn’t too shabby in his own right – but he has stiff competition this year for the top award. So who are the people in 2017 who’ve earned their place alongside him on our pantheon? We need to hear your voice in every category, and the big decisions will all be made by our panel of expert judges before the spectacular awards night in Glasgow on December 7 at Doubletree by Hilton, Glasgow. One of those judges will be the chairman of sportscotland – the national agency for sport – and renowned social entrepreneur Mel Young, whose Homeless World Cup project has earned worldwide praise.
He said: “Across Scotland there are dedicated people working hard in every community to put sport at the heart of society through our schools and clubs.
“The 11th Sunday Mail sportscotland Scottish Sports Awards will give us an opportunity to celebrate not only the work of these community heroes, but also the sportspeople who compete on behalf of Scotland on the world stage.
“We are delighted to once again be sponsoring the Scottish Sports Awards and I would urge anyone who is passionate about Scottish sport to nominate in as many categories as they can.”
To do that, log on to the website atwww. sunday mail sports awards. co.uk or alternatively write to us at Scottish Sports Awards, Sunday Mail, One Central Quay, Glasgow, G3 8DA. Deadline is October 2.
If you’re nominating a local hero or your local club, tell us as much as you can about your nominee and why they deserve an award.
It’s great to be involved… these awards mean an awful lot to me