Search for the nation’s greatest unsung sporting hero

The biggest and longest running awards in the sporting calendar, BBC Sports Personality of the Year, is back for 2024. This year’s awards are returning to Salford in December to celebrate the biggest sporting achievements from across the last 12 months.   

The search for winners of the acclaimed Unsung Hero award begins and it would be amazing to see our region represented.

The award, which recognises individuals that go above and beyond to support grassroots sport and physical activity in their local community, is one of the eight awards that form the iconic evening.  

For 2024, GB’s most decorated female Olympian, Dame Laura Kenny, is the ambassador for the award and spearheading the campaign for nominations.  

There will be 15 recipients of the Unsung Hero award, one from each of the BBC nations and regions. A judging panel of industry professionals will then decide on just one overall winner who will be announced live at the event.  

To nominate your Unsung Hero, they must be aged 16 or older and work or volunteer at a sports or physical activity club in any capacity, whether it’s coaching or coffee making. The nominee must also demonstrate a passion for their local community and encouraging others to take part in a sport.

To nominate someone head to bbc.co.uk/unsunghero and complete the application. You must be over 18, or have consent from someone over 18, and the nomination window is open until midnight on Wednesday, October 30.

This year’s ambassador, Dame Laura Kenny, said: “I was eight when I joined Welwyn Wheelers, my local cycling club. If it wasn’t for the dedicated people that ran it, I might not have achieved everything I have in the sport. It’s so important to recognise these clubs and the people that bring their local communities together through sport.”