Arbroath manager Dick Campbell has been awarded a BEM for ‘services to football and the Angus community.’
The Lichties boss has masterminded two league title wins and secured five successive seasons of Championship football for Arbroath since his appointment in 2016.
His spell in charge has also seen attendances at Gayfield more than TREBLE, to an average of 2,152 last season.
Campbell and the Gayfield club’s wider work in Angus – including the successful establishment of the Arbroath FC Community Trust – has also been recognised.
As part of the award, Campbell, who is assisted at Arbroath by twin brother Ian, will be invited to a Royal Palace celebration.
In total, the 69-year-old has spent 19 years of his 36-year coaching career as a manager in Angus.
Campbell won promotion and titles with Forfar Athletic and Brechin City before moving to Arbroath.
And his achievements at Gayfield have been labelled ‘little short of a miracle’ in the Cabinet Office press release confirming his BEM award.
Humbled
“I’m very moved and humbled by this,” Campbell told Courier Sport.
“It’s something that my family can feel very proud of.
“The support they’ve given to my brother Ian and I over the years in football has been incredible.
“It’s at times like this I think of my sister Margaret. We lost her earlier this year and I miss her greatly.
“I hope she’s looking down on us and smiling.
“You think you’ve almost done or seen it all in the game then something like this comes along.
“It’s incredible to get recognition in this way. I don’t even know how it has happened.
“But I am very, very proud of what we’ve done in football in Angus.
“We’ve had promotions at Forfar, titles at Brechin and Arbroath. I don’t think any manager will achieve what I’ve done with the Angus clubs.
“I’m a Fifer but I’ve spent a lot of my life working in Angus and I’m so moved by what is happening in Arbroath right now.
“The hard work of everyone at the club is paying off.
“We have such incredible links to the local community and have ignited a fire inside of the town that won’t go out.
“The club has grown beyond all expectation over the last few years and it will continue to grow.”
Dick Campbell has given ‘best years of coaching career to Arbroath’ says chairman Mike Caird
Arbroath chairman Mike Caird, who was vice-chair when Campbell was appointed, has saluted the Lichties boss.
“This is an amazing achievement,” said Caird.
“There aren’t many characters in the game but Dick is certainly one of them. He’s worked wonders at Arbroath.
“I’m delighted for him and his family.
“They say behind every successful person there’s a family there to help them.
“His wife Ann-Marie has been a rock to help him achieve all his football aims.
“Two seasons ago, he took this club to the brink of the Scottish Premiership.
“The whole country was looking at Arbroath at the point and our crowds have soared.
“We are investing in the community and the community are investing in us. Dick has fully embraced that.
“He has had a long and successful career and I think we’ve had the very best of that.
“The last seven years have probably been Dick’s most successful time in management.
“That says a lot when you consider what he’s achieved in 36 years of coaching.
“What he and we, as a club, have done during his time is incredible.
“We are never standing still and every year we are getting bigger and better.
“Everyone involved in the club should feel proud of what we’ve done. Let’s celebrate a fantastic accolade for Dick Campbell.”
