Colchester United may be staring down the barrel of relegation this season but fans have finally got something to shout about as it has been named Family Club of the Year at the Football League Awards.

East Anglian Daily Times: Colchester United v Barnsley. Colchester score a third. Picture: Phil Morley.Colchester United v Barnsley. Colchester score a third. Picture: Phil Morley. (Image: Archant)

The U’s were given the award ahead of the 71 other clubs in the league, such as fellow nominees which included Middlesbrough, MK Dons and Stevenage, at a gala ceremony in London on Sunday evening.

During this season the League One set out to increase family attendance by introducing an under-11s go free initiative at every league fixture.

As a result during the first half of the season more than 3,000 youngsters attended a match.

Matt Hudson, supporter liaison officer, collected the award on behalf of the U’s.

East Anglian Daily Times: Colchester United v Barnsley. Picture: Phil Morley.Colchester United v Barnsley. Picture: Phil Morley. (Image: Archant)

He said: “It’s really important for the club to win this award – we moved stadium a few years ago to the edge of town and it’s really important to stay connected with the local community.

“We made a concerted effort this year to make families feel welcome. This award is the culmination of that.

“We’ve done activity at pretty much every game this season to make families feel welcome. This is the result of a lot of hard work from everyone at the football club.”

Shaun Harvey, chief executive of The Football League, said: “The 10th Football League Awards has given us the opportunity to reward outstanding performance, both on and off the pitch, during what has been a memorable season.

“Each of our winners thoroughly deserves this recognition and, once again, we’ve seen exceptional levels of talent, dedication and achievement across all our nominees.”

A highlights show from the awards is being broadcast on Sky Sports 1 on Monday at 6.15pm and 9.15pm.