Bristol Rovers has been awarded Family Excellence Status for the 2022/23 season and joins a record number of 66 EFL clubs in achieving the accolade.
The Family Excellence scheme sees clubs receive two visit assessments each season, in order to determine the quality of the family matchday experiences they provide. The scheme recognises the continuous improvement and best practice that emerges across the League and rewards clubs for their efforts in attracting and retaining young supporters.
The League has worked directly with clubs since the scheme was introduced in the 2007/8 season and, during that time, junior Season Ticket sales have risen by 41%, with overall sales up by 28%.
The appetite for live football shows no signs of slowing down with crowds for the 2022/23 season across the EFL increasing by 12% compared to the previous season with attendances at an all-time high this century.
Rovers scored highly across the board, with particular mention for our refreshments, social media and retail operations.
Club CEO Tom Gorringe said: “Providing a good experience for families is really important to us as a club and we are delighted to be recognised this year with the Family Excellence accreditation. The Mem has its limitations, but we are continually looking at ways to make improvements, with the FanZone in particular an important step forward in the experience over recent years.
"I’d like to thank all our teams that have worked hard to build on the feedback from last season and make positive improvements this year. I look forward to seeing us take further strides next season and further improve our ratings and experience.”
EFL Chief Executive, Trevor Birch, said: “Our clubs deserve an enormous amount of praise for the outstanding work they have done in making sure the matchday experience is a welcoming one for all families, which has helped boost attendances across all our competitions.
“From improved engagement with supporters before and after games, to innovative approaches on the matchday itself, such as creating dedicated fan zones and improving catering options, clubs are pulling out all the stops to enhance their offering and attract the next generation of young fans.
“I would like to congratulate all those clubs who have achieved Family Excellence status and thank them for their efforts.”
A full list of EFL Clubs to receive Family Excellence status can be found HERE.