Britain's Unsung Hero, sponsored by Pepsi, will be among the first-ever NFLUK Awards to be handed out as part of Super Bash at the IndigO2 on Sunday February 6.

Pepsi is donating a £ 4,000 prize fund to the NFLUK Award set up to recognise unselfish service to the sport over the past year, with the winner earning £2,000 to be donated to the football-related cause of his or her choice. 

NFLUK is inviting nominations for an award that will go to someone who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in the past 12 months to help the development and enjoyment of American football in the UK. There will also be a £500 donation for those who make the short-list.

"We have already received some very worthy nominations," said NFLUK Managing Director Alistair Kirkwood. "We are very excited to be partnering with Pepsi to reward those short-listed with a donation to their club or organisation to help them carry on their good work."

Nominations should be sent to awards@nfl.com, by Friday January 14. To give you an idea of the kind of people we are looking for here is a selection (without names, of course!) of nominations already received:

• Youth football coaches from various teams who devote many hours every week to developing young players
• The coordinator of an NFL fan club who arranges newsletters, social events and game-viewing and visits for his expanding membership base
• The general manager of a team who kept his club going almost single-handedly and undertaken extensive fund-raising activity
• The founder of a network of private NFL fantasy leagues which adds to the enjoyment and engagement of many NFL fans throughout the season
• An administrator within British American football who has spent the year tirelessly ensuring that games have gone ahead and leagues have been properly run
• A television production assistant, whose long hours and dedication has helped to bring the sport to our screens every week.

Send your nominations to awards@nfl.com and mark the subject line as ‘Britain's Unsung Hero'. As a guideline, you should tell us the following: (1) Your nominee's involvement in the sport over the past year; (2) Why his contribution has been so important; and (3) an anecdotal example of your nominee's dedication.

Kirkwood added: "Everyone involved in American football in this country, either as a participant or a fan, knows a story about someone who seems to have spent all their spare time in the past year ensuring that the game is enjoyed by as many people as possible. This is an opportunity for people to tell us those stories and have those people recognised."

The NFLUK voting panel will announce a short-list after nominations have closed, and the winner will be declared on Sunday February 6 as part of the NFLUK Awards at Super Bash at London's IndigO2. The NFLUK Awards will honour the best of our sport on both sides of the Atlantic before attention turns to Super Bowl XLV live from Cowboys Stadium in North Texas.

BAFA Chairman Gary Marshall today urged teams to put forward people for the award by saying 'Our sport is indebted to the countless volunteers who give up their time week in and week out. I have no doubt therefore, that there are some tremendous candidates for this award and I would ask teams to consider making a nomination.'

The award of the donations to the clubs/organisations of the winner and other short-listed nominees is subject to the following terms and conditions:

1.       The donation from NFLUK/Pepsi must be used for a football-related project or activity, to be approved in advance by NFLUK.

2.       No approval for donations will be given without appropriate supporting documentation being presented to NFLUK.

3.       By accepting a place on the short-list, nominees agree to NFLUK publicising their nomination in the media.

4.       The decisions of the NFLUK voting panel regarding short-list, winner and prize donations is final.