Who are your unsung heroes?
Part of this year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year programme is the BBC Sports Unsung Hero 2008 award - an opportunity to recognise the dedicated, and often voluntary, work of people who give so much of their time, effort and talent to encourage others to excel in grassroots sport.
With the Olympic and Paralympics in Beijing producing so many British medallists, and London 2012 now less than four years away, this award seeks to recognise the people who devote their time, energy and effort to helping more people enjoy sport around the UK.
Last year’s overall winner was the remarkable 85-year-old Margaret Simons of Bardwell Football Club in Bicester. She founded the club in 1964, bought the nets kits, balls, medical kits and refreshments from her own money, and was chair, secretary, treasurer, manager and coach to the 20 children in her first year. An estimated nearly 3,000 children between ages of seven and 16 have now represented the club, which has teams in four different leagues.
Nominations for the 2008 BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award can be made at www.bbc.co.uk/sportsunsunghero The closing date is Friday 31st October.
15 regional winners will be chosen from around the BBC's Nations and Regions in November. The overall 2008 winner will be announced on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year show live on BBC ONE on Sunday December 14 from the Echo Arena in Liverpool. Bursaries of up to £2,500 are also available to each regional winner, to help them and their club in their work with sport in the community
This is exactly the type of work Sport England will be focusing on under our new strategy. This award salutes the work of those people.
The BBC is this year keen to attract nominations from as broad a range of sports as possible so as to highlight the sheer volume of work that goes on in our communities as we begin the journey towards London 2012.
There must be more people you know like them in your world of sport that could and should be recognised, and the BBC is keen to spread the word about the award as far and wide as possible. Whether it's major or minor sport, men or women, boys or girls, able bodied or disability, we would really be grateful if you could help us tell everyone working in sport about it. Thank you again for your help.
Go to www.bbc.co.uk/sportsunsunghero for details of this year's award and how you can go about nominating deserving people from your sports.
If you have any questions regarding the awards, please contact Charles Runcie at the BBC (details below).
Charles Runcie
Head of Sport, BBC English Regions
Level 10
The Mailbox
Wharfside Street
Birmingham B1 1AY
Internal: 071 76993
External: 0121 567 6993
Mobile: 07740 445433
Visit: www.bbc.co.uk/sportsunsunghero