2019 NSW Community Sports Award finalists announced

Image courtesy of Kiama Power Media.

 

Sport NSW have announced their 2019 NSW Community Sports Awards finalists with four AFL NSW/ACT candidates named.

Thanks to the support of Sport NSW Members and the NSW Sporting public, over 100 incredible nominations were submitted recognising community coaches, officials, administrators and organisations for their achievements over the last year.

The NSW Community Sports Awards are focused on community and grassroots sport, recognising the contributions largely carried out by a volunteer workforce. These awards provide State Sporting Organisations and State Sporting Organisations with a Disability an opportunity to recognise the efforts and achievements their dedicated volunteers deliver across New South Wales every day.

A complete list of finalists can be found here.

Nominated for ‘Community Club of the Year’, the Kiama Power have been named as a finalist after a successful year in the AFL South Coast competition. Including a Premiership in the Men’s Division One competition, Kiama also ran initiatives such as a ‘Volunteer of the Year’ competition and have contributed heavily to the local ‘Relay for Life’ and breast cancer charities. Kiama also strive to progress a unified brand between seniors, juniors, and men’s and women’s, allowing players and families to seamlessly move through all levels. With strong junior, youth and senior women’s teams, they also now have a complete pathway for female participants.

Also from Kiama, Tim Martin has been nominated for ‘Volunteer Director of the Year’. In addition to the work Martin has done with Kiama Power JAFC, he is also a member of the AFL South Coast Competition Management Committee (CMC), and is the 2019 Chair of the newly formed, Illawarra Juniors Club Delegate Committee. These volunteer positions involve strategic development and planning of the junior and senior competitions, but of most significance, Martin also compiled the 2018 and 2019 junior competition fixtures.

Warner’s Bay Juniors’ Mark Philpot has also been named as a finalists for ‘Sports Administrator of the Year’. Philpot has displayed an exceptional level of administration over the past 12 months. His club management is held in high regard across the Hunter Central Coast competition with several other clubs often seeking advice from him. His club is always on top of transfers, permits and all league paperwork, and is always present and active at league meetings, ensuring the voice of the club is heard.

Gary Bullivant of the Queanbeyan Tigers’ will also receive the Distinguished Long Service Award at the ceremony in recognition of his years of service to our code. Bullivant first became involved with the Tigers Organisation in the early eighties. He served the committee as Secretary from 1983 and was elected in as President in 1993 until 2017, making him the clubs’ longest serving President. Now retired, Bullivant is still assisting the Queanbeyan with securing much needed grants for the improvements to the Tigers’ home ground facilities which just recently included a $590k grant from the NSW Government for new women’s changerooms and a solar energy system.

The winners of the awards will be revealed at a special ceremony in the Strangers’ Room of NSW Parliament House, at 6.00pm on Thursday 20 June 2019.

The presentation ceremony will be hosted by the Hon. John Sidoti MP, Minister for Sport, and the Minister will also present the recipients of the Sport NSW Distinguished Long Service Award with special recognition for their exceptional service to sport.

AFL NSW/ACT would like to congratulate all the finalists for the Sport NSW Community Sports Awards.

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