Sportsmen and women who want to give their coach an extra special thank-you for all their hard work, still have time to nominate them for the Sports Coach of the Year Awards.

Closing date for nomination forms, now available from local authority leisure departments, libraries, local sports council or from County Hall, Chelmsford, is Friday, January 29.

The awards are organised by Essex County Council, with support from the National Coaching Foundation (Eastern Region) plus Lucozade Sport, Essex FM Radio and Telewest Communications.

They will be held at the end of April and hosted by the chairman of Essex County Council, David Rex, and this year's guest of honour will be Trevor Brooking MBE, CBE.

There are six categories for awards this year:

(1) Male/female coach coaching individual performers

(2) Male/female coach coaching teams

(3) Male/female coach coaching disabled sportspeople

(4) Male/female coach coaching junior competitors (individuals or teams)

(5) Male/female teacher coaching in schools (sponsored by Telewest Communications)

(6) Male/female coach who has made an outstanding contribution countywide to coaching in his or her sport over a long period of time (minimum 10 years)

The winning coaches will receive a commemorative certificate, £150 awards towards coach education courses and/or resource materials, an individual subscription to the National Association of Sports Coaches for a year, as well as a range of goods supplied by Lucozade Sport.

For further details, telephone Kevin Day, the county sports development officer, on 01279 451854.

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