At the end of September we received our first visit as part of the EFL's Family Excellence Scheme, and recently received the results, which we are pleased to say reflected well on the club, particularly highlighting the 'friendly, informal and welcoming' attitude of club staff and stewards which made the afternoon an enjoyable one for those concerned, with the club awarded a mark of 8/10.
Club vice-chairman Adrian Barry, who represents the club at EFL Supporters' Liaison meetings, commented: ''We are pleased that the report recognises the attitude we try to portray as a club to attract families to the ground. As the report mentions, there are improvements we can make to enhance the family experience, and we will be looking to implement these, but we are very grateful to all the club staff involved for creating such a favourable impression on the club's first visitors from the Scheme.''
The EFL’s Family Excellence Scheme launched during the 2006/07 season to reward Clubs in their efforts to deliver an outstanding match-day family experience.
The scheme revolves around ‘mystery fan’ visits made to all EFL Clubs each season, with assessors and family groups reporting back on their experiences across a range of touchpoints.
The assessments and the feedback they produce help foster a commitment to continuous improvement, and the scheme has seen Clubs set benchmark standards in providing such things as family fun zones, family-oriented concourse entertainment, matchday activity schedules, creative catering options, interaction with Club mascots, players and enthusiastic family-friendly Club staff.
These visits, and the positive changes made as a result, go towards determining whether Clubs are awarded Family Excellence status each season, a desirable and important endorsement to further promote the matchday experiences they offer to new and existing families and their wider fanbases.
To see the report, click here.