Brentford Manager, Dean Smith, Praises our Community Work

After Brentford FC Community Sports Trust were named runners-up at the London Football Awards, Dean Smith paid tribute to our work in the west London area.

The Trust’s journalism project, in partnership with the Fearless Foundation, was nominated for the community project of the year at the London Football Awards and came as a runner up to QPR’s #Game4Grenfell.

This year, the project gets year six students writing a match report from Brentford’s 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday and over 700 students took part in 2017. It’s designed to encourage children with their writing and improve their literacy skills – particularly amongst young boys.

For the Bees head coach, he believes the club have one of the best community schemes out there as he paid tribute to the work Lee Doyle and his team put into their jobs.

He said: “I think it’s a big part of what we are and who we are. The academy closing down means our ties with the community are now through the trust.

“For me, it’s one of the best that’s out there and touching parts you wouldn’t normally get to.”

Brentford’s Dan Bentley was crowned ‘Goalkeeper of the Year’ at the London Football Awards – claiming the gong ahead of Watford’s Heurelho Gomes, Hugo Lloris of Tottenham, West Ham ace Adrian and Chelsea stopper Thibaut Courtois.

The London Football Awards was held on Thursday 1 March in aid of the Willow Foundation, which was set up by former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson and his wife, Megs, in memory of their daughter Anna, who died of cancer aged just 31. Since 1999, the charity has fulfilled more than 13,000 Special Days for young adults living with life-threatening conditions such as cancer, motor neurone disease, cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy. The ceremony raised more than £175,000 for the charity’s Special Days.