Exeter City wins family gold award for fifth year running

One of 18 clubs to win

Exeter City Football Club has been awarded gold standard in the EFL Family Excellence awards – for the fifth year running.
 
The Club, which has been recognised for its ‘friendly atmosphere and outstanding customer service’, is one of only 18 to have achieved the gold award out of the 72 clubs in the EFL for the 2024/25 season.

The Grecians were positioned 12th out of all 72 clubs from across the English football leagues with an average score of nine out of 10!

The EFL’s Family Excellence Scheme assesses the experience clubs provide for match-going families through the use of family matchday assessors, covering a range of touchpoints across ticket purchase, matchday activations and experience, accessibility, facilities and family communications.

The scheme sees clubs receive two visit assessments each season to determine the quality of the family matchday experiences they provide. This season, assessors attended the Peterborough match on August 24, 2024 and the Northampton Town game on March 1, 2025.

The report stated: “The main strength and what we will always remember from the day would be the friendly atmosphere and the outstanding customer service from every member of staff/volunteer/steward we met. From the lady in the shop, to the stewards with a smile on their faces the whole time we were there. Exeter City are a very welcoming club, which is perfect for families.”
 
“On arrival to the stadium footprint, stewards/SLO (Supporter Liaison Officer) are on hand to welcome and engage with fans. I saw on several occasions stewards offering to walk
people to their seats, and this continued all afternoon. This level of care and service is world class. Even when we arrived at our seats, we could see stewards all over the stadium escorting supporters to their seats - this was brilliant.”
 
“Everyone was so welcoming and friendly. I don’t think I walked past a single employee that didn’t ask how we were or if we needed anything. This was extremely impressive and instantly provided a sense of belonging and that we were welcome. I believe this goes a long way to the brilliant family friendly atmosphere that was consistent throughout the
Stadium.”
 
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.

Of the 69 EFL Clubs which achieved Family Excellence status, 18 were recognised as 'Gold Award' winners for the exceptional family experience they provide for supporters on matchdays.

Clive Harrison, chair of the Exeter City Supporter Experience Committee said: "We are delighted to have achieved gold standard for the fifth consecutive year and really pleased with the positive comments from the assessors. There are many people who work very hard to create an engaging matchday experience at St James Park. Thank you to all of our fantastic staff, volunteers and ambassadors who have contributed to this award.
 
“Our supporters are at the heart of everything we do at Exeter City and we are constantly looking to improve the quality of the matchday experience. We have a number of projects underway this summer which should improve that even further.”