LAMMACK Juniors are a community football club in every sense of the word - and they have the award to prove it!

For the Blackburn club has just been voted FA Community Standard club of the year for Lancashire.

It is an incredible feat for a club that was only formed 10 years ago and will now represent the county in the regional awards.

Today, Lammack is one of the biggest in the area with boys teams from under sevens to under 18s, five girls teams, a senior ladies side and more than 250 young players.

However, chairman Nigel Dixon wants Lammack to be much more than just a football club and serve the community as a whole.

Lammack has already made giant strides to achieve those goals and that is largely down to a dedicated committee, hard-working managers and coaches and a band of loyal volunteers.

The club has forged links with local schools and Old Blackburnians Football Club to provide progression for the older boys.

And Lammack is the only club to actively involve children with disabilities in a club environment and we are represented on the Lancashire Disability Development Committee and are an Ability Counts Club.

Nigel said: "Winning this award is far more important to the club that winning trophies on the pitch because it shows we are moving in the right direction.

"This award is down to the incredible hard work put in by everyone connected with the club."

Now the football club is aiming to become a multi sports club.

"I think we are already a part of the community but there is so much more we can do," added Nigel. "We already have a girls netball team but we would love to introduce other sports such as tennis and cricket. Again it would be great to forge links with other sports clubs in the area."

Lammack already has a partnership agreement with the Princes Trust to provide youngsters with the chance to get involved in football coaching a referee courses. It also has close ties with Queen Elizabeth Grammar School and has exciting plans for a sports hall and new changing rooms for boys, girls and children with disabilities.

Nigel said: "This is one of our biggest projects. Our aim is to build a viewing plaform in the sports hall so that parents and spectators can watch when we hold competitions. Again, this is something we have been working closely with QEGS on."

And the club has recently been granted charity status as it steps up its attempts to truly become a club to serve the whole community.

Nigel added: "Gaining charity status is very important to us because it recognises that the football club is managed to the highest standards. It also opens doors to possible funding to help us achieve our goals."

One of those goals is to recruit a community development officer - something the club is working with Blackburn with Darwen Council to try and achieve.

Nigel said: "Recruiting a community development officer is vital for the club as they would work with local schools and make them aware of the opportunities there area available."

While there is still a long way to go, Lammack have already shown that they really are a community club.