HE may have missed out on a top prize at the 2015 UK Coaching Awards but Mark Moran insists simply being nominated is going to spur him on to keep helping others.

The lecturer in sports science at the University of Bolton, who is also a rugby league coach at Widnes, rubbed shoulders with the great and good of British coaching at the Midland Hotel in Manchester last Tuesday having been nominated for the Coach Developer of the Year Award.

Cycling coach Richard Shepherd won the prize but Moran’s efforts did not go unnoticed by the panel of judges.

“I’m privileged to be nominated for an award and a bit surprised, but really, really happy,” said Moran, who coaches the Widnes Vikings under-19s.

“I'm not sure what I've been doing in order to be nominated by the rugby league, it's just my normal job to me.

“I really appreciate the nomination – just to have been nominated makes me feel like a winner."

The 38-year-old is instrumental in the development of coaches and coaching resources on the Embed the Pathway talent development programme within rugby league.

Moran also works as a coach developer on the Strive programme that focuses on the development of coaches in Widnes and is studying for a PhD on the impact of coach development on community rugby league coaches in Leeds.

“I've been involved in coach education since 2007 and over the last 18 months I've been working on the Embed the Pathway project, which is a new initiative that up skills coaches in the local community.

“My role is not only to upskill coaches but also to provide coach developers with the skills to go and deliver the initiative.

“The coaching awards mean even more to me because they're taking place in my hometown of Manchester, the heart of rugby league.

“My nomination is recognition that what I'm doing is having an impact so it's definitely a spur for me to keep doing what I'm doing and keep developing more coaches along the way.”

The UK Coaching Awards 2015, hosted by sports coach UK is a chance to recognise excellent coaching and coaching organisations that have achieved outstanding success over the past 12 months. For more information visit:www.sportscoachuk.org