ASB Bank has made a three-year commitment to the Nelson Sports Awards.

The bank announced this week it will become the new naming sponsor for the popular awards, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017.

For the next three years the popular event that celebrates local sporting talent will be known as the ASB Nelson Sports Awards, a major boost for organisers Sport Tasman as they encourage local sporting codes to nominate their rising stars.

Katie Arden, Event Manager for Sport Tasman, is delighted to have ASB on board. “We are looking forward to working with the team to deliver an awards ceremony to remember.

“The event is an important celebration of local sporting achievements and is growing in size and stature year on year. Community is our focus and with ASB on board, we hope to achieve great things in the region.”

Nominations will open on September 1 and close on October 14, with Sport Tasman highlighting their desire to be notified of local sporting achievements by managers, sports fans and proud parents.

ASB Nelson branch manager Michael Norton says ASB is thrilled to support the ASB Nelson Sports Awards this year.

“ASB has partnered with Sport Tasman since 2012 and we’re proud to celebrate the great work undertaken by local sports people and the wider Nelson region’s sporting community to foster exceptional sporting talent in our region,” Mr Norton added.

The 2018 Awards ceremony will take place on Saturday 24th November.

At last year’s milestone event, 29 previous winners of the supreme award attended a glitzy awards evening at the prestigious Rutherford Hotel in Nelson.

Golfer Nicki Campbell was the first Sportsperson of the Year winner    back in 1959. She has been followed by a long list of professional athletes, including many Olympic and world champions.

In 1980 the local awards took a short break before being resurrected by Sport Nelson (now Sport Tasman) in 1989 when the winner was Olympic sailor Rex Sellers.

In 2017, there were 93 nominations from 38 sporting codes which are judged across nine categories. Last year the Sportsperson of the Year was international rowing star Zoe McBride, after being selected from the various category winners. Guest speaker was New Zealand champion shot putter Tom Walsh.

Categories at the 2018 ASB Nelson Sports Awards are:

• Sportsperson of the Year:
• Sportsman of the Year
• Sportswoman of the Year
• Sports Team of the Year
• Junior Sportsman of the Year
• Junior Sportswoman of the Year
• Junior Sports Team of the Year
• Masters Sports Person or Team of the Year
• Coach of the Year
• Lifetime Contribution to Sport