The LGBT community sports awards were launched by Pride Sports in 2008 to recognise the significant sporting achievements and high standards that many of our local community sports groups regularly achieve. The awards also encourages clubs to keep reaching even higher standards. Higher standards of organisation and in particular through improved coaching and coach development, as this is the key to high performance and success.

The six categories of LGBT community sports awards

• Female Sports Achiever of the Year
• Male Sports Achiever of the Year
• Sports Coach of the Year
• Sports Volunteer of the Year
• Sports Club of the Year
• Community Investor of the Year (businesses supporting sports groups)

nominations

There is a formal procedure with set questions to nominate for an award and the result rests on how well the nominator has answered the questions. Mutliple nominations form different perspectives often help paint a more rounded picture of the nominee.

Each year an impartial panel of six people is formed from a range of organisations, for example, LOCOG (London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games), RFL (Rugby Football League), Sport England, GHT (George House Trust), LGF (Lesbian and gay Foundation) and Pride sports. If a panel member's club is nominated, that member cannot vote for that nominee. The results are determined by the quality of the answers and my tip is not to assume the panel members have any knowledge about the nominees, projects or standards referred to, etc

Nominations for the 2011 awards go online November 2010 and it will be an online form.