Hunt is on to honour very best of our sporting stars

WHETHER it be recreational or professional, sport plays a crucial role in people’s everyday lives up and down the country, and this is particularly true when it comes to the city of Nottingham.

Home to a wide range of sports teams, from the oldest professional football team in the world, Notts County, to one of the UK’S most iconic ice hockey teams, Nottingham Panthers, the city - and the county - certainly has a rich heritage when it comes to the world of sport.

October 25 will be the date of the annual Nottingham Post Sports Awards return to the region and honour the achievements the local sporting community has had in the past year.

An extremely inclusive event, the awards are fantastic at bringing people of all ages, abilities, and genders together and it is this community spirit which sees the event continue to rise.

This year’s event will follow the same format of previous years, with awards in 15 specially chosen categories up for grabs.

Last year’s occasion was a huge success and had a whole host of famous faces from Nottingham’s sporting community in attendance.

With individuals, teams and clubs all acknowledged for their success, one of the standout awards on the night is always the Lifetime Achievement award.

Last year’s award was won by legendary Nottingham Forest player, John Mcgovern.

Best known for captaining the Reds during the most successful period in their history which saw them twice crowned European champions, John is regarded as one of the greatest players in the club’s history.

Nottinghamshire and England international cricketer Alex Hales was named Sportsman of the Year on the night ahead of Paralympic athlete Richard Whitehead and badminton star Chris Adcock.

The Sportswoman of the Year award was presented to gymnast Ellie Downie, who at just 18 was named European champion in the all-around discipline last year. She beat off competition from international cricketer Jenny Gunn and Winter Olympic skater Elise Christie to take the honour.

The Manager/coach of the Year award at the ceremony is named in honour of legendary Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough, and last year the award was won by Corey Neilson, who was the head coach of Nottingham Panthers. His time at the club saw him win countless silverware, making him the most successful Panthers coach of all time.

Due to Nottingham’s wide range of different sporting disciplines, the Nottingham Post Sports Awards also includes awards specifically for