Walsall FC has been awarded Family Excellence Status for the 2021/22 season and joins a record number of sixty-five EFL Clubs in achieving the accolade. Twelve Clubs have also been crowned as ‘Gold Award’ winners for their exemplary work in engaging families on matchdays.
The record-breaking number, up from sixty-three Clubs in 2019/20, 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.
Given the particularly challenging set of circumstances that society faced during the COVID-19 Pandemic, EFL Clubs’ work to ensure supporters have been welcomed back safely, whilst boosting the matchday experience has been recognised across the scheme this season.
EFL Clubs received two ‘mystery family’ visits throughout the season, with their feedback and reports determining whether each respective club would achieve ‘Family Excellence’ status. Now in its 14th year, the Family Excellence Scheme is an ongoing consultation programme, which aims to drive continuous improvement and best practice in family engagement across the leagues.
EFL Chief Executive, Trevor Birch, said; "I would like to congratulate the record number of Clubs that have achieved Family Excellence status this season. Ensuring a memorable matchday experience is vital to attract the next generation of young fans so it’s great to see so many clubs excelling in this area. Fans returning to EFL clubs in their millions this season has been fantastic to see and club staff should be commended for going the extra mile to make the matchdays engaging for families attending live games."
Other EFL Clubs to receive Family Excellence status include; AFC Bournemouth, AFC Wimbledon, Barrow, Birmingham City, Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers, Bradford City, Bristol City, Burton Albion, Cambridge United, Cardiff City, Carlisle United, Charlton Athletic, Cheltenham Town, Colchester United, Coventry City, Crawley Town, Crewe Alexandra, Derby County, Forest Green Rovers, Huddersfield Town, Ipswich Town, Leyton Orient, Lincoln City, Millwall, Milton Keynes Dons, Morecambe, Newport County, Northampton Town, Nottingham Forest, Oldham Athletic, Oxford United, Peterborough United, Plymouth Argyle, Port Vale, Portsmouth, Preston North End, Queens Park Rangers, Reading, Rochdale, Rotherham United, Salford City, Sheffield Wednesday, Shrewsbury Town, Stevenage, Sunderland, Sutton United, Swansea City, Tranmere Rovers, West Bromwich Albion, Wigan Athletic, and Wycombe Wanderers.