THE search is on to recognise the sporting greats of the county in the Gloucestershire Media Sports Awards 2010.

During the next three months, we want to hear from you about the people in the sporting community of Gloucestershire who are really making a difference.

They could be athletes making big impressions on the track, footballers who are putting the ball where it counts, tennis players who are real aces, or rugby players who try, try and try again in the quest for victory.

We also want to hear about officials, coaches and teachers who week in and week out dedicate themselves to providing sporting opportunities in the county.

And tell us about the big sporting personalities who can lead and inspire others through their dedication, skills, and performance.

Last year, we launched our first Sports Awards and were inundated with nominations from across the county and judges had a difficult job deciding the worthy winners.

This year, we are expecting even more entries as we seek to reward the best of the county's sporting talent.

The awards were launched at Kingsholm stadium in Gloucester yesterday in front of sportsmen and women and businesses involved in sponsoring the different categories.

And there was high-level backing for the awards from Gloucester Rugby's managing director Ken Nottage and Cheltenham Racecourse's managing director Edward Gillespie.

Ken said: "I think these awards are excellent because we should be recognising grassroot sports.

"When you are the elite end of professional sport, it's too easy to forget where everyone came from.

"The foundation of British sport relies on volunteers and those people are worth their weight in gold in terms of the time and effort they put in and the experience they have.

"British sport needs to do more to recognise those people."

Edward said he was delighted the racecourse would be hosting the awards ceremony again this year.

He said: "The awards really reinforce the range of sports we have in the county.

"They are great because they raise the profile of the non-mainstream sports."

One of the special guests at the launch was Stroud athlete Jennie Batten, 17, fresh from Canada where she represented Great Britain in the 4x100m relay at the World Junior Championships.

While she helped the GB team qualify from the heats, she was not selected for the final, in which the team failed to finish after the baton was not passed on.

Jennie, who is already preparing for the European Junior Championships in Estonia next year, said she hoped the awards would help raise the profile of the county's athletics scene.

She said: "It is good to have these awards because they can help highlight what is happening in the county in athletics.

"It isn't easy for sprinters here because of a lack of facilities.

"I go to the Prince of Wales Stadium in Cheltenham for a lot of my training, but I also have to go to Birmingham, Worcester, Bath and London."

Wheelchair tennis player Emma Aldred-Tow was also at Kingsholm to help promote this year's awards after she was a finalist last year.

Emma has had quite a year since her nomination, as she won the women's singles title in the B Division of the National Wheelchair Tennis Championships – and is now pregnant.

Emma, who will be looking to nominate people for the awards this year, said: "It was good that the awards recognised disability sports.

"I had a good year with the National Championships and aim to be playing again by January."

The awards also attracted the interest of the Gloucestershire Banshees American football team.

Head coach Maurice Myers said minority sports in the county needed a higher profile, especially in their bid to encourage sponsorship.

He said: "Sport has a big social impact on the community and teaches a lot of young people how to work in teams and the more recognition it gets the better."

Once again, the awards have attracted sponsorship for various categories.

Aspire are sponsoring the Junior Club of the Year category and its chief executive Steve Elway said: "We see the Sports Awards as a way of rewarding the hard work of clubs and individuals in delivering sporting opportunities."

Natalie Dyke, from Brickhampton Golf Club Complex, the sponsors of the Outstanding Services to Sport category, said: "At our golf club we have a lot of people we rely on who volunteer.

"We think it's important to recognise that kind of dedication."

Sue Knight, Hartpury Sport said: "Hartpury College is extremely proud to once again sponsor the Disability Sports Person of the Year award.

"We recognise that disability is no barrier to enjoying sport at any level and have a long association with riding for the disabled.

"Simon Laurens was a very deserving winner last year and I do hope that the Gloucestershire public will get behind the Sports Awards once again this year."

Addressing the guests at the launch, the editor of the Gloucestershire Echo, Kevan Blackadder, said: "When people think about sport in 2010 in England, many will think that it's been a year to forget.

"There were such high expectations for the World Cup in South Africa but – yet again – England let us down.

"But what we'll show over the next few weeks in the Echo is that in Gloucestershire we've got so much to celebrate.

"The people who really matter, the amateur sportsmen and women who take part in their thousands throughout the year, have continued to give us fantastic stories to tell."

To nominate online click here

If you would like to book a table for the gala black tie dinner click here