We are excited to announce that as part of the EFL Awards 2020, the Hatters have been named Kin & Carta Family Club of the Year for the Championship.
We are very proud to have received the Family Excellence Gold Award each year since it was introduced in 2018, the same year in which we also won the main divisional award for League Two.
Across the club, we remained fully focussed on retaining our Gold status for 2019-20 and into the future by continuing to improve the experience for families visiting home Kenilworth Road wherever possible, so we are delighted to have collected a second divisional award in three seasons despite the restrictions of our aging, but much-loved stadium.
The EFL wrote to inform the club of the award, stating that “the judging team was impressed by the Club’s clear and unwavering commitment in delivering a first class family experience at Kenilworth Road”.
They went on to explain: “The Club is no stranger to recognition for family engagement, and continued efforts to seek to overcome stadium limitations by creating a quite outstanding match day experience for families, have been hugely impressive.
“From entertainment inside and outside the stadium, here to help staff, on and offline friendly advice for fans and families, and a consistency across the Club’s matchday touchpoints, all illustrates the clear commitment to making family and fan engagement a key area of leadership focus.
“The impact this has had is further evidenced in the Club’s Family Excellence mystery fan visits each season, demonstrating how the Hatters’ focus on families has become entrenched in its culture.
Some of the factors that have enabled us to earn this prestigious accolade include:
- Improvements to the KR Family Zone including graffiti art, a soft rubber surface to make it safer and picnic benches for families to sit and eat
- The introduction of baby-changing facilities across the stadium
- Continuation of Family Fun Days, featuring visits from the RSPB and Natural History Museum
- Further developments to the Hatters Hideout, with FIFA 20, table football, board games, art and craft themes and a new Hatters library scheme to encourage reading
- Pocket money items on sale at kiosks and gift bags for visiting clubs’ junior supporters
- A Memory Wall which allows our supporters to leave personal messages to loved ones no longer with us
- Golden Hatter and Community Champion awards for people who go above and beyond for the club and the town
- Sensory hours at the club shop
- Roald Dahl Day competitions and milk giveaways on World Milk day
- Online improvements to both our website and social media, including an Instagram page for mascot Happy Harry
- Plus many, many more detailed in the video below...
Well done to all staff and volunteers who have contributed to making this second Family Club of the Year award possible, and thank you to our wonderful supporters for engaging with the club so positively.
We can’t wait for the day we can make that matchday experience at the Kenny so special once again – but in the meantime, please stay safe and well and hopefully we’ll all be back together soon!
COYH!