Port Macquarie-Hastings Council Mayor’s Sporting Fund and the Rotary Club of Port Macquarie Sunrise have again joined forces in 2018 to deliver the ultimate sports awards for up and coming athletes.

With $7,000 to be awarded to local athletes, helping them achieve their sporting dreams, the awards were officially launched – earlier than usual – on March 18.

Port Macquarie-Hastings mayor, Peta Pinson, said that nominating for the awards was a great way for rising sporting stars to reach the next level.

“We have such great local sporting talent, and the sports awards provide the opportunity for our stars of the future to get a helping hand in achieving their sporting dreams,” mayor Pinson said.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the nominations from our community, and just as excited about the difficult challenge of choosing just one winner of this year’s Wayne Richards Sporting Scholarship.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for all rising sporting stars across the Port Macquarie-Hastings region and I encourage everyone to seriously think about nominating.”

Rotary Club of Port Macquarie Sunrise president, Jenny Sinclair, said that last year’s event was inspirational with a wide range of sports people being nominated.

“We are looking forward to encouraging and celebrating sport at all levels from our community,” Mrs Sinclair said.

“The awards are not until October but we have opened nominations now to ensure that those who play summer sports remember to nominate.

“The awards are for all sports and we are really wanting as many people as possible to nominate today.”

The nomination period covers all sporting activity and achievements from 1 October 2017 to 30 September 2018 with nomination now open until September 30.

2017 winner Harry Jones said that the awards have really helped him get to the next level.

Read More: Port Macquarie-Hastings Sports Awards 2017

“For me the awards are about encouraging people to get out there and have a go and so I think it is really important to focus on getting kids out there and wanting to play sports and get to the next level,” Mr Jones said.

“With the next generation of athletes coming up I think we should be inspiring them and making sure they want to continue playing and doing what they do.

“It doesn’t matter what the sport is, from lawn bowls to footy to netball and swimming we should be wanting our young people to play and represent us and these awards can help make that possible.”

Among the awards, is the Wayne Richards Sporting Scholarship which was launched in 2004 as a tribute to former mayor Wayne Richards.

Mr Richards was a passionate supporter of youth and sport in the Port Macquarie-Hastings region and established the Mayor’s Sporting Fund in 1999.

This year the Port Macquarie-Hastings Sports Awards Presentation Breakfast ceremony will be held at 7am on Friday 26 October at Port Panthers and proudly sponsored by Holiday Coast Credit Union.

To nominate today, click here.