Arsenal have won the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Award for the ‘Arsenal in the Community’ programme.

The award is given to businesses that show a long-term, sustainable commitment to community engagement in London, for at least five years. It was presented to the Gunners in a ceremony at Mansion House.

The Islington Gazette write that Arsenal have supported over a million local young people since 1985, working with other businesses, councils and voluntary sector partners.

133 people have moved into paid employment as a result of the Gunners’ programmes.

Arsenal have always shown a commitment to community programmes, often supported by the players, who donate a day’s wages to the Arsenal Foundation on an annual basis and attend events the club puts on.

A statement on the official awards site said, Arsenal won the award, “For Arsenal in the Community, which has been chosen for its programme across Islington, Camden and Hackney, where coaches work with over 5,000 people across 150 venues each week. Through a range of footballing, educational, employment, health and social inclusion activities, the initiative offers support and a sense of belonging and connection to those that need it most.”

It’s nice for the Gunners to have some recognition of that commitment, and hopefully it will encourage them to continue to work hard helping in the community in the future.

It’s something that the fans can be proud of and the least that the club could do considering how many local people pay to attend matches each and every week, supporting the club by doing so.

Giving back like this is part of the club’s values and hopefully will always stay that way.