Celebrate with Oldham's grass roots sporting heroes!

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With less than three weeks to go until the glitzy presentation evening at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Oldhamers are now being urged not to miss out on their chance to celebrate with their local sporting heroes at the 2018 Oldham Sports Awards.

The great and the good of the borough's sporting fraternity will converge at the QE Hall on Friday, September 21.

This year marks the 16th annual award ceremony.

The event allows people from different sporting backgrounds to unite as a community and appreciate each other's efforts in order to help improve the local area, while also congratulating and celebrating the accomplishments of the borough's biggest sporting heroes.

Winners from the Sport's Awards - there are eight categories - will go on to represent the borough at the Greater Manchester Sports Awards later in the year.

The award categories this year are Unsung Hero, Club of the Year, Coach of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Disabled Sports Achiever of the Year, Contribution to School Sport Award, Sports Achiever of the Year and the Changing Lifestyle Award.

Today the Chronicle features the second of our eight looks at the award nominees with a focus on the Club of the Year.

Five clubs have been nominated:

RF Dance

RF Dance holds classes from senior street to tutu ballet to acro, with students boasting numerous medals and trophies from competitions across the North West.

Having performed at school summer fairs and the Christmas light switch-on in Royton, the club has combined a passion for dance with community involvement.

Teacher Miss Becki tailors lessons to the child's capability, encouraging them to challenge themselves and celebrating their development in showcases and presentation evenings where their commitment is rewarded.

The club is described as a family, where children cheer one another on through their hard work and have the opportunity to become coach assistants to younger dancers as they progress.

Hollinwood Basketball Club

Hollinwood Basketball Club's cubs, bucks, and legends teams are all league winners, with the dragons as runners up.

Their success on the court is matched by their commitment to player development, which has involved putting older players through Level 2 coaching programmes and refereeing programmes to allow them to officiate games.

Community spirit is also championed at the club, with players volunteering at local schools to encourage a love of the sport.

They support players with physical disabilities and special educational needs, ensuring that they are always involved in every aspect of training.

The team of volunteers who run the club are dedicated to making sure that young people gain the most from their ability and champion their fellow players. 

Infinity Dance

In the last 12 months, Oldham's Infinity Dance have earned second place at Oldham Street Championships and awards for creativity at Ministrada gymnastics.

They are now in their fifth year as a dance school, having grown from 20 students to over 200, and use every event as an opportunity to support a different charity from Macmillan to Manchester Children's Hospital.

The club focuses on inclusivity, involving children with behavioral problems, looked-after children and those with autism.

They are also committed to outreach programmes with local schools and have worked closely with Oldham Arts Development to reach their goal of becoming the friendliest and most inclusive dance school.

Fierce Dance

Fierce Dance will be heading to the world finals in August 2018 after bagging the titles of North West, Nationwide, British and European Champions in multiple categories.

They are dedicated to bringing the confidence-building effects of drama and dance to the community, setting up the Oldham Street Dance Championships and volunteering at a Changing Horizons event at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

In terms of their wider impact, groups perform at charity events and where they have raised £2,500 for Dr Kershaw's Hospice and ensure that families without the means to fund lessons have access to equal opportunities through generous subsidies.

Principal teacher Jennifer Lynch manages to teach these 300 children in her spare time, offering examinations in street dance and gymnastics to gain extra recognition for the young people.

Friarmere Cricket Club

A few years ago, Friarmere Cricket Club had no junior section and was on the verge of going out.

With some hard work, the club is now thriving with two u-9 and u-11 teams added to its many others.

The teams have gained significant success, with the u9s claiming the title of indoor winter champions and summer runners up, and with two county players on their books.

Parents are involved in fundraising for the club, adding to a theme of inclusivity that sees players of all abilities involved and appreciated.

Tomorrow we'll take a look at the Coach of the Year award nominees.

September 21 will present a great evening to recognise local people for their contribution to sport and activity.

Call 0161 770 4051 to book your tickets, which cost just £15 each.

In the meantime, check out local updates on Twitter using the hashtags #TeamOldham and #OSA2018