THE pride of East Lancashire Football Alliance – Abu Hanifah Foundation FC – saw their name in bright lights at Wembley Stadium as they celebrated a special grassroots national award.

Blackburn’s new kids on the block, based at the town’s Powerleague Superdome, travelled to the home of football to receive their prize at half time from England’s 1966 World Cup hero Sir Geoff Hurst during Sunday’s Community Shield clash between Chelsea and Arsenal.

“It was an incredible day, and to be recognised in that way at Wembley, in front of 95,000 supporters was very special indeed,” said club secretary Yasir Sufi, whose club landed the FA Charter Standard Club of the Year.

“When we walked up Wembley Way every single screen had the club’s name on, and one of the lads joked it was maybe the biggest thing to happen to Blackburn since Rovers won the Premier League title in 1995.

“Also, to be on Wembley’s hallowed turf and receive the honour was such a special thing for everybody.

“We had Diego Costa sat behind us during the match and we also met Rio Ferdinand, Pat Jennings, Glenn Hoddle and Martin Keown, so it was a day none of us will ever forget.”

Yasir added: “It was all a bit surreal, and I just found it amazing that a little local club from Blackburn, formed a couple of years ago, could win this honour on the national stage from thousands of other nominations across the whole of the country.”

The McDonald’s FA Community Awards recognise the difference people have made to the grassroots game nationwide, and honour the volunteers in their local community as well as the people who have dedicated their time to developing young talent and helping ensure their safety.

Abu Hanifah Foundation FC landed the FA Charter Standard Club of the Year prize just a year after winning the North West Regional prize.

“We started out in 2013, so to come this far in such a short period of time has made everybody very proud indeed

“We started with just a dozen children, hardly enough to put on a training session, but now we have 300 girls and boys attending the academy every Saturday.”

With the support of local volunteers and businesses, AHF FC has nine teams competing in league football, and additionally seventeen of the club’s volunteers are refereeing in local leagues.

The club is also working closely to strengthen links with Premier League giants Manchester City to provide development opportunities for children within the community, many from differing backgrounds.

“I grew up around the St Mary’s College area of Blackburn and football was not really played in the Asian community very much.

“When we formed AHF FC that was one of the aims, to promote football in our community, and now we have a dozen different nationalities at the academy and that’s lovely to see.

“We’ve had an incredible response, but hopefully this is just the start of the journey.”

Nearly 2,500 nominations were put forward for recognition for this year’s FA and McDonald’s Community Awards and their Director of Football, Sir Geoff Hurst, who was part of the judging panel, said: “Clubs like Abu Hanifah Foundation FC help keep the grassroots game alive in this country.

“Their efforts give children of all abilities the opportunity to enjoy and participate in the beautiful game in a safe environment, and without them the game we know and love wouldn’t exist.

“It was fantastic to meet the guys from AHF FC, and to be able to congratulate them personally on winning a much deserved award for their club.”