Blues to collect regional prize at House of Commons
Pompey will be recognised in Parliament for their outstanding community work.
They have been named South West & Wales Checkatrade Community Club of the Year as part of the 2017 EFL Awards.
Following the excellent efforts of Pompey in the Community, the club will be joined alongside five other regional winners at the House of Commons on Monday, March 6 to receive their awards.
All the winners will then compete for the overall Checkatrade Community Club of the Year prize, which will be announced at the EFL Awards in April.
Blues chief executive Mark Catlin said: “This is fantastic recognition for the club and, in particular, the great work undertaken by Clare Martin and her team. It is an achievement that rightly should be celebrated.”
Pompey in the Community highlighted the potential benefits that can be gained when the club and the community come together through the success of their showcase project – a crowdfunding campaign which raised £100k to build a new hub facility.
Clare Martin, chief executive of Pompey in the Community, said: “We’re delighted to win the regional award in the midst of some tough competition.
“Our crowdfunding project played a big part in this recognition, so really it is an accolade we share with the local community. Without the generosity of so many, what we achieved would not have been possible.”
EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey added: “The announcement of the regional award winners provides a fitting tribute to the work that takes place to transform local communities through the power of football.
“All clubs, not just the winners, work tirelessly to connect with local supporters and I am delighted to see such innovative and effective ideas recognised in this way.”
The six regional winners were selected by an independent judging panel including The Times’ chief football writer, Henry Winter, football policy advisor at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Sam Haylen, director of CSR at The PFA, John Hudson, and Sport England’s strategic lead for relationships, Greg Clements.
EFL Trust director of operations Mike Evans praised the fantastic work completed by all six clubs via the work of their community trusts.
He said: “Without question this was the strongest year we have ever had in terms of quality of Community Club of the Year applications, giving the judging panel some really tough decisions.
“All of our club trusts should be rightly proud of their efforts and for the six selected clubs it’s a tremendous honour to be recognised by Parliament and to be showcased in the House of Commons.
“They are deserving winners and great ambassadors for the work of all EFL clubs in their communities across the country.”