Brentford FC Named Best in London for Family Friendly Football
'outstanding and extraordinary quality of the family experience provided'
Brentford Football Club has today been confirmed as the best place to experience EFL family football in London, and the second best in the country. Each of the 72 EFL clubs received two ‘mystery family’ visits throughout the season to assess touch points, with their feedback and reports determining whether each respective club would achieve ‘Family Excellence’ status. Over the last 12 years the EFL have seen a significant increase in families attending football matches as a result of their close work with clubs.
This year a record 63 Clubs have received the EFL’s Family Excellence Award – up from 56 last year. With an overall score of 9.7/10, Brentford are one of only nine clubs leading the way, receiving the Gold Award standard for exemplary work in engaging families on matchdays. Brentford is the only London EFL club to receive the Gold Award and was praised for the “outstanding and extraordinary quality of the family experience provided”. Each of the 72 clubs was rated out of ten in a series of areas and was then ranked from one to 72 based on those numbers. Taking all the ratings in to account, Brentford FC was ranked second in the EFL.
It is the tenth year in a row that Brentford FC has received the Family Excellence Award but the first time named as Gold Award winners. In the latest report the Club were scored 10/10 for “first impressions” (including the family website), “staff engagement” and for “friendliness of the club”. The Club also received a score of 10/10 when families were asked if they would recommend to others.
Jon Varney, Brentford FC Chief Executive Officer, said: “This is excellent news and everyone at the Club is justifiably delighted with such a superb result. Firstly, we need to thank the hard-working staff for their efforts and desire to continually improve and evolve what we do here. To be recognised in this manner will not only help us attract new families but it also strengthens our opportunities with current and potential commercial partners.
“This is also a recognition of the Club’s overall direction. We want to provide attractive, affordable football at Griffin Park and that is a vision that comes from the Board and Matthew Benham. These are very exciting times for us all at Brentford Football Club as we head into a new era with our new stadium now just months away from being completed.”
Ryan Murrant, Fan Engagement Manager, added: “To receive the Gold Award standard is fantastic for the fans, the Club and for the staff here that work so hard to give families the best day out possible. Last year we were ranked 11th across the EFL, so to now finish 2nd only behind the fantastic work of Middlesbrough is an incredible achievement for us all. We have a vision to be the most diverse, inclusive and family friendly club in England and this goes a long way towards us achieving that.”
The Club can also report that Junior Season Ticket retention increased year on year in 2018/19 to 81 per cent with Junior Season Ticket sales increasing overall by 4 per cent. This season also saw a rise in Junior Membership sales of an incredible 64 per cent with Junior Matchday sales rising by 4 per cent overall.
Shaun Harvey, EFL Chief Executive, 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 leagues, 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.”
If you know a family that may be interested in attending the final game of the season then please show them the family website which explains all they need to know about an award winning experience.
April 26, 2019