Three of NI's top coaches have joined forces today to launch Sport Northern Ireland's prestigious 2015 Coaching Awards.

Neil Doak, Head Coach of Ulster Rugby, Frank Fitzsimons, Antrim Senior Gaelic Football Coach and Kim Kensett-Friar, Senior Coach at Salto Gymnastics and HeadCoach for Gymnastics NI at the Commonwealth Games, joined with Sport NI to call on the public to nominate coaches and coaching organisations that have made a big impact on sport over the last 12 months.

The Sport NI Coaching Awards highlight the huge importance of coaches and the role they play in supporting people to engage, enjoy and excel in sport. There are eight categories, allowing the contribution of coaches to be acknowledged and recognised, from grassroots right through to high performance level. One award category also recognises excellent coaching projects and their impact.

Chairman of Sport Northern Ireland, Brian Henning, sees the Coaching Awards as an excellent opportunity to recognise the dedication of our local coaches:
"Sport Northern Ireland is delighted to be launching the 2015 Coaching Awards, to give much needed recognition to our workforce of highly committed coaches. Last year was the inaugural year of the awards and proved to be a great success, with nominations received across 22 different sports. With the help of the public, this year can be even bigger and better. I am urging everyone to submit their nominations by Monday 10th July to recognise the huge amount of dedication, enthusiasm, expertise and experience provided by coaches working behind the scenes!"

Head Coach of Ulster Rugby, Neil Doak, who is supporting Sport NI's Coaching Awards, recognises the positive impact of coaching:
"Good coaching really does make a difference and recognising and valuing the work of our coaches is extremely important. The hard work, patience and backing of coaches is invaluable to any team and I am delighted that Sport Northern Ireland has created a platform to say 'thank you' to our coaches and coaching organisations."

To nominate a coach or project, please visit http://www.sportni.net for guidance information and nomination forms for all award categories. All completed forms must be returned via email or post by 4.00pm on Friday 10 July 2015.

For further information contact:
Name: Emma Blee
Contact no: 028 9038 3230
Website: www.sportni.net/coachingawards
Email: memmablee@sportni.net