The Clubbies set to shine a light on grassroots stars
There’s no shortage of awards and accolades given to elite athletes in the sporting industry, but the outstanding achievements of players, coaches and officials at the grassroots club level often get overlooked or overshadowed – until now.
The Confederation of Australian Sport, an alliance of the 90 peak Australian sports bodies, and Inside Sport, one of the nation’s foremost sporting magazines, have banded together to establish a new community-orientated awards for the nation’s grassroots sporting enthusiasts, titled “The Clubbies” and aimed squarely at the sport’s heartland.
The CAS/Inside Sport Clubbie Awards aren’t your traditional posh black-tie awards targeting the top end of town, but the grassroots enthusiasts who are the true unsung heroes of this nation’s great sporting culture.
The Clubbies aim to shine a light on local champions and stalwarts, and then reward their clubs with great prizes to improve their services and facilities.
The Awards are open to all teams, clubs and individuals in Australia, with six categories and accolades up for grabs.
1. BEST COACH –Nominate a coach who in some wonderful way has gone above and beyond the normal call of volunteerism to make the role their passion. Nominations will describe their coach’s special qualities and explain why that coach should be a “winner”. The winning coaches won’t necessarily be judged on how far their team went in a competition or how many trophies they collected in a season – they will be judged on how far their team came.
2. BEST PLAYER – Nominate an individual for their exceptional performance during a season. These nominees may not necessarily have won anything in a competitive sense, but through some outstanding effort, or action, or “sporting” heroics, they have won the admiration of their team-mates, friends and family.
3. BEST STALWART – Every club has at least one. Nominate that club stalwart who takes on the lion’s share of duties, dedicating themselves to their volunteer role in the club, without a word of complaint or a bad word about anybody. We all know the type: they’re running the canteen, marking the lines, emptying the bins. We are looking for Australia’s standout enthusiast. We want to say thank you – and put their name in lights!
4. BEST TEAM – What makes a great sporting team? Yes, by definition there is usually some kind of trophy involved for winning a competition, but sport is about more than winning and losing, and being part of a great team is one of the most special experiences anyone can enjoy. What makes your team the best? Nominations will cite that team’s history, their playing record, their fine sporting spirit.
5. BEST CLUB – Nominate their own club for this award. What makes your mob the best? What is it about your club that makes you so proud to wear their colours? Is it the facilities? The camaraderie? Your dominance on the field? Your team mates?
6. BEST SPORTING EDUCATION – Nominate a school or university for the outstanding quality of their sporting program. How does this educational facility make sport the best lesson anyone can learn? Let us find Australia’s best teachers of sport.
Once the nominations have been received,
Inside Sport’s editor will reduce entries to a shortlist of 10 finalists in each category.
The announcement of these finalists will be broadcast and the invitation extended for readers, clubmates, colleagues, friends and family to go online to vote for the winners in each category – with all votes going into the draw to win some terrific prizes.
To nominate, simply visit www.insidesport.com.au/theclubbies/nominate/ .
