The Forbes Sportsperson of the Year Association (SOYA) are delighted with the quality of the nominations they have received for the 2018 awards with the annual Presentation Dinner to be held on Saturday, 16th March at the Forbes Sport & Recreation Club.
The Forbes SOYA is a small yet hard working committee dedicated to recognising and celebrating the accomplishments of our local sports men and women as well as administrators and officials. Sport is an important= part of life and the awards are an opportunity to pay tribute to the athletes who excel in their chosen sport and thank and show appreciation to the many volunteers who give their time to ensure that children and adults of all ages have access to some of the best sporting facilities and competitions in NSW.
The awards being contested include the Junior and Senior Sportsperson, All Rounder, Coach/Trainer, Referee/Umpire/ Official, Administrator, Team and of course the Forbes Sportsperson and Runner Up for 2018.
The overall winner of the Central West Credit Union Monthly Achievers Award will also be announced on the night along with the President’s Award, Phillip Adams Encouragement Award, Merit Awards, School and Special Sports Awards and the Forbes Netball Association Terry Wade Award. The calibre of the nominations received for all the awards was of a very high standard making the job of the independent judging panel extremely difficult.
This year the special guest is Alana Thomas, former Australian Rugby Union player and Australian Wallaroo Development Coach. Alana hails from Glen Innes but has a local connection. Her career in Rugby Union commenced with the Forbes Platypi when she lived and worked in Forbes over 10 years ago and she was the winner of the Forbes Sportsperson of the Year in 2005 and 2006. Alana is looking forward to being part of the presentation and sharing her experiences representing NSW and Australia as well as her current role as coach.
The SOYA Awards would not be possible without the generous support of local businesses, allowing Forbes to be one of the last country towns in New South Wales who host a separate sporting awards ceremony.
Congratulations to all nominees and the SOYA committee look forward to seeing you all, your families and the nominating sporting organisations when the 2018 winners are announced on 16th March.