The Birmingham Sports Awards has this year been blessed by the amount of support it has received from partners in the worlds of business, education and public service.

The much anticipated September event is looking to be every bit as successful as last year’s inaugural ceremony.

Many of our 2013 supporters and sponsors felt there was so much of a buzz last time that they have chosen to again give the awards their backing. Among them, South & City College were quick to confirm their renewed presence and will sponsor the Junior Team of the Year Award.

We discussed their decision to re-commit with College Principal Mike Hopkins, who is very proud of their repeat involvement.

He said: “As an educational institution, South & City College Birmingham exists to give young people the skills, experience and opportunities to get ahead and achieve their goals.

“We understand the important role sport plays in young people’s lives – from keeping fit, learning about team work, building competitiveness and even just taking part - it helps young people grow and achieve amazing things. Being part of the sports awards shows our commitment to encouraging young people to get involved with sport.”

Mike sees the importance of the Birmingham Sports Awards to the wider community and thinks there will again be positive knock-on effects.

“For our young people, it is important to embed sports in their lives at an early age, which they will then take on to their working life.

“Recognising the sporting achievements of lots of different groups and individuals will hopefully inspire those people who participate in sport at all levels to strive to achieve as much as they can.”

South & City College Birmingham
South & City College Birmingham

He also sees a natural logic to the College’s support for the Junior Team of the Year Award and set out his reasons clearly.

“We have sponsored this award to show our commitment to encouraging young people to see the benefit of sport, and to applaud those who are already achieving great things,” he said.

“The awards are designed to showcase the region’s talent, and we believe it is important to recognise young people’s achievements. It also gives us an opportunity to create relationships with lots of different organisations and make a solid link between sport and education and the shared qualities that are required to be successful in both fields.

“Many of the qualities that make sportspeople successful are also the qualities that make people successful in business. Dedication, hard work and belief are the basis for being successful in both sport and business.

“The ability to take a knock but keep going despite failing on a first attempt, the belief that you will succeed is shared between both sportspeople and people in business. Sport can help develop these skills and they can then be used in other areas of a person’s life. There are many examples of successful sportspeople going on to do well in business and one of the reasons is that they have developed the right skills and qualities through their chosen sports.

“The staff at South & City College would like to wish all the nominees the very best of luck and we look forward to meeting them at the awards ceremony.”

To nominate your sporting star now please visit:  www.birminghamsportsawards.co.uk