BARCELONA CROWNED ECA CLUB OF THE YEAR AWARD

Barcelona have been crowned Club of the Year for their treble-winning efforts in 2014-15 by the European Club Association (ECA).

Luis Enrique’s debut season was practically perfect as the Catalans waltzed to the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey clean sweep, following a phenomenal second half of the season.

Blowing their chance of claiming a much-vaunted sextet by losing the Spanish Super Cup to Athletic Bilbao didn’t affect Barca’s chances of claiming the accolade at Monday’s ECA award ceremony in Geneva.

Europa League runners up Dnipro were also rewarded with the Best Sporting Progress award for reaching the final of the second-tier continental competition against all odds and expectations.

The Best Community and Social Responsibility Programme reward went to Arsenal for their efforts in working with the local London community to tackle the growing level of youth employment in the area.

The fourth and final ECA award for 2015, Best Achievement, went to Estonian side Levadia Tallinn for their “Together we move” scheme aimed at improving stadium accessibility for fans who require assistance dogs.