Brentford Football Club at Heart of Community

Last night, at the annual Football League Awards at The Grosvenor Hotel in Park Lane, London, trust owned Brentford Football Club won the League Two Community Club of the Year award.

The shortlist saw the previous winners line up with Bradford City, Rochdale, Rotherham Unted and Wycombe Wanderers.

The Chief Executive of their Community Sports Trust, Lee Doyle, received the award on behalf of the all involved at the Club, saying:

"We provide 5,000 coaching sessions in 15 different sports every year, and this is great recognition in our 20th year as football in the community and 5th as a trust. There is a real connection with the community in Brentford and when we move to the new stadium, we hope to create a hub for the community where not only can a football club operate, but we can offer links to health and education."

He added: "There is a lot of power in the football league in terms of reaching out to communities. Both collectively and through individual clubs we have to look at the opportunity we have to positively affect peoples' lives. We are giving people across the board opportunities that they just would not have had before."

Jo Emmerson, who represented the Learning Zone said, "This is more than football, but football is at the centre of what we do. We're creating fans for the future and providing tickets for the community. This is the heart of the Club, Lee delivers with four local authorities and we deliver to 2,000 children in education every week."

Robin Nicholls was shortlisted in the category League Two Apprentice of the Year which was won by Matthew Phillips of Wycombe Wanderers, whilst Grant Holt of Shrewsbury Town edged out our own Charlie MacDonald as League Two Player of the Year.

With thanks to the BFC Official Site.

March 30, 2009