Nominations will open this week for the 2026 Tamworth Regional Sports Awards, recognising the region’s leading athletes, coaches, teams, volunteers and sporting organisations.
Nominations open at 9am on Thursday, 17 September, with categories covering junior and senior athletes, coaches, volunteers and special achievements.
Tamworth Regional Council Sports and Recreation Development Officer Richard Willis said the awards celebrated people and organisations making significant contributions to local sport.
“The Tamworth Regional Sports Awards are all about shining a spotlight on people and groups doing incredible things in sport,” Willis said.
“We’ve seen some amazing winners over the years and I know there’s so many inspiring people in the Tamworth sporting community. If you know an individual, a team or an organisation who deserves to be recognised, make sure to nominate them.”
Willis said Tamworth was not only producing high-quality sporting talent, but also developing facilities capable of attracting major events.
“The Capital of Country International is on again this year which will see some world-class tennis competition in Tamworth,” he said.
“We hosted the Koori Knockout last year, both the NSW PSSA AFL Championships and the Hockey NSW Under 16 Boys Field State Championship were held in Tamworth this year, not to mention all the top-class sporting events hosted at AELEC each year.
“It shows we are a destination for the sporting community, and we hope these events inspire the next generation of sports stars in Tamworth.”
Tamworth Oztag’s Jess Smith, who saw a number of local players recognised at last year’s awards, said the recognition was important for the sporting community.
“The Tamworth Regional Sports Awards are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the incredible achievements of our local sporting community. We were extremely proud to see a number of our Tamworth Oztag players recognised at last year’s awards, and it was wonderful to see their hard work, commitment and achievements celebrated alongside so many other deserving local athletes, coaches and volunteers,” she said.
“Sport is such a valuable part of our community. It teaches teamwork, resilience, commitment and leadership, while creating friendships and a real sense of belonging. These awards are about more than recognising results on the field – they celebrate the people who contribute to making sport such an important and positive part of our region. I would encourage all local sporting clubs and families to nominate the people they believe deserve to be recognised.”
Nominations close on Wednesday, 28 October.
More information and nominations are available through the Tamworth Regional Council website at tamworth.nsw.gov.au/sports-awards.
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