Club captain Sam Lavelle has been named the Shrimps' PFA Community Champion for the 2020/21 season.
The award, which recognises the fantastic support that PFA members provide to their club’s community throughout the season, is Lavelle’s second in as many years.
Whilst things have been significantly different over the past year, Morecambe’s number five has gone above and beyond within the local community by participating in Zoom calls with local schools, taking part in BBC Radio Lancashire interviews as well as continuing to donate monthly to local food banks.
Janet Preston, the Football in the Community Manager at the club said: “We picked Sam for this award because he’s been really supportive of the community schemes and some of the work we’ve done.
“He’s been involved in some of our work including getting in touch with people over the lockdown period, he’s been great in schools earlier in the year when we could go into schools, and I think he thoroughly deserves it.
“It’s been very different this year and thankfully we’ve managed to keep some of our projects running through the lockdown and the pandemic and it’s been a vital lifeline for some people.
As a result of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the community team have had to take a more digital approach to their work.
“He [Lavelle] has been brilliant digitally. So much stuff has switched to digital whilst the pandemic has been on and he’s been really great and supportive,” Preston added.
In addition to a strong campaign on the field, the Shrimps skipper says he is thrilled to be able to make a difference in the local area.
“I’m delighted to win this award for the second season in a row,” Lavelle said.
“Clubs working with the community is something I believe is very important within football and something that, in my opinion, should be promoted more.
“I’ve always said that I don’t know a better community club than Morecambe and the Trust do a brilliant job every single year.
“There hasn’t been as many physical appearances this season due to COVID, but I’m happy to help whenever I’m asked and I hope I can benefit several people with this work, including myself.”