A total of 63 EFL Clubs have achieved Family Excellence status, nine of which have been crowned as ‘Gold Award’ winners for their remarkable work in engaging families on matchdays.
The record-breaking number, up from 56 Clubs in 2017/18, recognises continuous improvement and best practice in family engagement across the leagues and supports Clubs’ efforts to attract and retain young fans of the future.
Amongst the 63 Clubs, the ‘Gold Award’ given to nine Clubs highlights an elite number of Clubs that offer an exceptional family matchday experience.
EFL Clubs received two ‘mystery family’ visits throughout the 2018/19 season, with their feedback and reports determining whether each respective Club would achieve ‘Family Excellence’ status.
The year-on-year progress of EFL Clubs was highlighted at the EFL Awards earlier this month, with Doncaster Rovers named the EFL Family Club of the Year for their strong family culture, including their highly engaging family-focused matchday activities, along with an innovative kit design competition and a hugely popular and active mascot Donny Dog, and his ‘Kennel’.
The respective Sky Bet Championship and League Two Family Clubs of the Year, Middlesbrough and Mansfield Town, also introduced exciting concepts, with the former showcasing innovative activities based on health, education and fun.
Meanwhile, Mansfield’s Family Area and the introduction of a new Family Room has enhanced the Club’s matchday experience.
EFL Chief Executive, Shaun Harvey, said: “It has been fantastic to see the continued dedication and improvement made by EFL Clubs in offering engaging matchday experiences for families.
"More Clubs than ever before are being recognised for offering true family value and a consistently high level of service and innovation, with the EFL’s long-running Family Excellence Scheme helping to produce positive and impactful change across the League, while driving a real focus on the overall matchday experience.
“I would like to congratulate the Clubs that have achieved Family Excellence status and those that have been awarded Gold status this year. We look forward to continuing our work with Clubs to help drive change, and support the continued effort to attract and retain future generations of supporters.”
A full list of EFL Clubs to receive the Family Excellence and Gold status can be found below:
AFC Wimbledon
Aston Villa
Barnsley
Birmingham City
Blackburn Rovers
Bolton Wanderers
Brentford
Bristol City
Bristol Rovers
Burton Albion
Cambridge United
Carlisle United
Charlton Athletic
Cheltenham Town
Colchester United
Coventry City
Crawley Town
Crewe Alexandra
Derby County
Doncaster Rovers
Exeter City
Forest Green Rovers
Hull City
Ipswich Town
Leeds United
Lincoln City
Luton Town
Mansfield Town
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Milton Keynes Dons
Newport County
Northampton Town
Norwich City
Nottingham Forest
Notts County
Oldham Athletic
Oxford United
Peterborough United
Plymouth Argyle
Port Vale
Portsmouth
Preston North End
Queens Park Rangers
Reading
Rochdale
Rotherham United
Scunthorpe United
Sheffield United
Sheffield Wednesday
Shrewsbury Town
Southend United
Stevenage
Stoke City
Sunderland
Swansea City
Swindon Town
Tranmere Rovers
Walsall
West Bromwich Albion
Wigan Athletic
Wycombe Wanderers
Yeovil Town
Gold Award Winners; Brentford, Derby County, Doncaster Rovers, Luton Town, Mansfield Town, Middlesbrough, Plymouth Argyle, Scunthorpe United, Swansea City.