Monthly Archives: March 2016

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It’s back to the future as the National Game Awards return!

It’s the annual announcement which can only mean one thing. The return of the National Game Awards signals the start of what can be best described as the business end of the season.

When we sound the NGA klaxon, the countdown is officially on. The season’s end is in sight and the nerves and excitement begin to kick in. The biggest few football months of the year are now upon us.

Not just for the players on the pitch, looking to grab a title, seal promotion, win a cup or simply avoid the drop. Here at The NLP, we really are getting busy – the big day is just over ten weeks away.

So what’s different for 2016? The venue, for starters. We’ve gone back to the future and it has provoked an enjoyable trip down memory lane. The National Game Awards are returning to Stamford Bridge – after all, there will be trophies won out at Chelsea this season!

The last time were were on the blue side of west London, we were joined by a megastar in the making. Jamie Vardy didn’t hesitate in getting on a train down to the capital with his then-Fleetwood team-mate Jamie Maguire four years ago.

Vardy wasn’t just collecting an award, he was taking a tour of his future. Leicester and their striker have soared since he picked up our Player of the Year accolade.

Welcome

And should the Foxes lift the Premier League title? Yes, they’ll be champions on the final day of the season at the Bridge – four days before this year’s NGAs.

 

So who will be crowned this year’s king or queen of the King’s Road? Wednesday May 18 is the date for your diary and we’ve got another smashing set of awards to dish out as we recognise the great and the good of the Non-League game in fitting fashion.

What else is new? Well we’re thrilled to announce a new title sponsor for the event – welcome and thank you to SCL, the leading provider of sports coaching and education are on board for 2016 as we’re back bigger and better than ever.

We will be providing weekly run-downs, award-by-award, in the lead up, but the Sports Shield Player of the Year looks sure to be hotly contested. The SCL Unsung Hero is one of our favourites, as is the NLP Lifetime Achievement.

Long-term supporters Reusch return, Bob Fidler is again backing the Goalkeeper of the Year gong, with the PFA fully behind the Fair Play award as journalistic mind-makers Sportsbeat put their name to the Young Player of the Year award again. Ian Senior and SK Kits will knight the star of Steps 3 and 4.

We’re also making new friends this summer. Acerbis – renowned manufacturers of motorsports clothing and equipment but now looking to be a big player in the UK football market after success over the past decade in Italy, Spain, Holland and Switzerland – are backing the Cup Run of the Year award, and Morrant get behind the always absorbing Golden Boot accolade.

The NGAs wouldn’t be the same without the Football Foundation’s Rory Carroll dishing out the in-demand Community Club of the Year trophy, while FieldTurf reward the year’s top boss with the Manager of the Year award.

HuckNets are back involved for another year and they are sponsoring the Goal of the Season with William Hill helping out once more with the Fan of the Year award. Red Insure take on the Team of the Year – we couldn’t do it without any of them!

nga sponsors 2016

NGA 2015-16 list of awards

Sport Shield Player of the Year

Sportsbeat Young Player of the Year

FieldTurf Manager of the Year

Reusch Goalkeeper of the Year

Morrant Golden Boot

SK Kits Step 3 & 4 Player of the Year

Red Insure Team of the Year

Acerbis Cup Run of the Year

The Non-League Paper Lifetime Achievement

Huck Nets Goal of the Season

William Hill Fan of the Year

The Football Foundation Community Club of the Year

The PFA Fair Play Award

SCL Unsung Hero

How to vote

Please email ngavotes@greenwayspublishing.com to cast your vote or use #NGAvotes on twitter.

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The Golf Paper returns for 2016!

The Golf Paper, the weekly print and digital title from Greenways Publishing, is set to relaunch on March 23 following a planned winter hibernation period.

After its initial launch during the week preceding last year’s US Masters, the title is set to hit newsstands across the UK for the start of the WGC-Dell Match Play event in Austin, Texas, building up towards the season’s ‘unofficial’ curtain-raiser at Augusta.

Retaining its stable of core writers, with Graham Otway heading up news and features as Editor at Large, player contributions will come from tour stars David Howell and Chris Wood, while Martin Johnson and John Huggan are on board as the paper’s weekly columnists.

However, following The Golf Paper’s original remit to report and offer comment on the game’s leading tournaments, the publication is switching its focus to offer more feature-led pieces that the editorial team feel will offer greater variety to the consumer.

Executive Editor Alex Narey says: “On sale every Wednesday, we are well-placed to offer expert opinion for the weekend of golf ahead, with European and PGA Tour events starting on Thursdays.

“As a weekly title we don’t want to ignore the stories from the previous weekend, but our method and approach will change because we have to deliver the ‘feature within the feature’.

“Golf coverage in the Nationals is still poorly represented overall; not in quality – because there are some wonderful writers who cover the game – but in quantity.

“We feel we can deliver a more rounded golf publication with exclusive features with the writers we have. People want to read what experts John Huggan have to say on the game; they want to hear opinions and golf stories that they can’t read elsewhere.

“We will still cover golf through the amateur ranks, as well as the various feeder tours, and of course exclusive, big-hitting lines from the game’s top stars will still undoubtedly sell the publication. But we want to deliver content that represents club golfers too. We want to deliver the stories they would want to read. When they see The Golf Paper in their newsagents, they will know there will be content in it they can relate to.

“There will also be more regular coverage on equipment – a key area for any golf nut – as well as UK and European travel.

“This is a huge year for European golf with a Ryder Cup looming. And, despite concerns regarding club playing participation, the number of rounds played in 2015 remained in line with those of 2014, which was the best year since 2010. It’s an exciting time for the golf industry.”

The Golf Paper will hit newsstands on March 23, retaining its price at £1.50.

For editorial queries, please email newsdesk@thegolfpaper.co.uk or alex.narey@greenwayspublishing.com.

For advertising and commercial opportunities, contact sam.emery@greenwayspublishing.com.

The Golf Paper is available in all good newsagents every Wednesday to Saturday, but you can also subscribe to a postal or digital subscription.

Having a postal subscription means you never have to miss an issue with The Golf Paper delivered directly to your door, while subscribing to our digital edition gives you instant access to the paper anywhere in the world.

You can subscribe to The Golf Paper here.