Tony Mowbray believes success on the pitch breeds success off it after Rovers were named as EFL family club of the year.

The first-team boss believes everyone at the club is adhering to values which centre around the club’s motto Arte Et Labore.

Whether a first-team star, or working as part of the office staff at Ewood Park, Mowbray feels hard work is key to any success. And he hopes the club can maintain the feel-good factor which this season has brought, with Rovers’ work in the community also commended by the EFL.

“For the club to win family club of the year it shows that people behind the scenes are working extremely hard to re-engage the community with the football club where I am assuming it’s been damaged over the last 10 years,” Mowbray said.

“People are trying to build bridges, bring the community back to support the football club and hopefully watch a winning team as we move forward.

“I think all football clubs are entwined with what happens on a Saturday afternoon and Tuesday night and if you have a successful team on the pitch then it’s easier to sell tickets, advertising, attract new people to come and watch.

“It can be difficult if you’re stuck in a losing environment, everyone has an opinion what’s wrong.

“At the moment I think the vibe around the club is positive. We’re all trying to pull together, having a set of values that we work to and they work around the motto of the club, hard work and skill, it’s a fantastic motto to have.

“Hard work should be the basis of everyone’s working life I think whether you’re a footballer on the grass or a young girl in the accounts department, it should be focussed on giving the hours in the day your very best.

“I think this club by the fact they have won awards off the football pitch shows they are all working hard.”

Mowbray has led the club to the verge of promotion back to the Championship in his first full season in charge.

He is trying to create an ‘upward spiral of success’ at Rovers but knows that much is dependent on what happens on matchdays.

The boss added: “We should all be trying to create income and support and gather supporters to come to the games, enjoy the environment they come in to because it creates a culture where if you’re bringing in revenue streams because people want to be around Blackburn Rovers then it helps us get better footballers, helps the team improve, win more games, more people want to be attached to the success and you get an upward spiral of success.

“That’s the process we’re going through to create an upward spiral of success which is difficult to stop.

“If we can engage the supporters to like the team, get the players out in the community to work around the kids in school, attending awards night, speaking to supporters, then hopefully they will come back and it will help the team grow.”

Rovers are aiming for a swift return to the Championship, eight years after their relegation from the Premier League.

Winners of the top flight title in 1994/95, Mowbray believes Rovers can strive for a return to that level in the near future.

He added: “Where does it stop? It probably stops, hopefully for us, just outside the top six of the Premier League and there’s no reason why with the infrastructure this club can’t get back to the Premier League and not be a team fighting to get out of the bottom three.

“At this moment, the top six have money the rest don’t have but I don’t see why Blackburn Rovers can’t get to a stage in the near future where they can compete in the Premier League with 14 clubs to stay there and be competitive.”

“There are some success stories around us, and with all due respect if Burnley can achieve the season they are having in the Premier League then I’m very sure Blackburn Rovers, if we can get it right on the grass and create the right environment and culture around the football club then there’s no reason we can’t be competing with them.”