Luton Town have been awarded with Family Excellence Status for the 2018/19 season, and join a record number of 63 EFL Clubs in achieving the accolade. We are also incredibly proud to be named as one of just nine Clubs have also been crowned as ‘Gold Award’ winners for their exemplary 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.
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 12th 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.
Luton Town continued their excellent work towards family engagement this season, by renovating the family room, turning it into a fantastic 'Hatters Hideout' for younger supporters. The room includes games consoles, a table football, TV screen, serving hatch, free fruit, colouring-in and other games to help provide entertainment on matchdays. During 2018-19 we held 5 family fun days, bringing music, games and entertainment to Kenilworth Road ahead of kick-off, and built on other initiatives such as the 'Here to Help' volunteers, flag bearers, dug-out visits and team-sheet readers to help make the Luton Town experience a memorable one for all the family.
Chief Executive Gary Sweet said: "We have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to make a visit to Kenilworth Road a thoroughly enjoyable one for young people and their families so we're delighted to have been named as a Gold Award winner for the second year running. It's an award which means that parents and guardians can bring their children to Luton, knowing that they'll have a great time and will be well looked-after throughout their visit"
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 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.”