United have achieved the EFL Family Excellence Silver Award for the 2024/25 campaign.
This repeats the achievement from '23/24.
Every year, each EFL club has two independent, unannounced ‘mystery shopper visits’ and we receive feedback, reports and recommendations on how to improve. We are then benchmarked against other clubs in our league and across the rest of the EFL.
The club has now received the results from the second visit and our overall rating for the '24/25 season. The latest visit was on 15 February 2025 as we played host to Colchester United in front of 7,021 supporters.
Overall, we ranked 27th out of the 72 in the EFL and also placed 6th in Sky Bet League Two.
Summary of the 2024/25 season
The report says highlights:
'The '24/25 Family Excellence assessments highlight a very good and extremely consistent matchday experience at Brunton Park, and one that is fast approaching excellent.
The detailed information for families and simple ticket purchasing process helps families plan their first visit with confidence and ease. The mascot timetable is a simple but valuable resource that ensures children don’t miss the opportunity to meet Olga the Fox. The fan zone experience also stands out – attracting groups of friends, young families, home and away fans and provides a real community club feeling.'
To view the overall report following the second visit, click HERE.
Based on 12 categories within the report, clubs are also awarded a touchpoint score. We were given a touchpoint score of 8.2, with the average in League Two being 7.3 and the EFL scoring 7.6. Our overall average score was 8.0, with the average in League Two being 7.5, whilst the average across all divisions was 7.7.
The first visit of the season covered our clash with Fleetwood Town on 14 September 2024. Following that, we were given an overall score of 8.3 To view the first report for '24/25, click HERE.
Chief Executive, Nigel Clibbens said: “The purpose of this award and inspection process is to help improve levels of family engagement at the club by providing detailed feedback on every element of the match experience.
"It makes clear recommendations on what could be done to address any ‘gaps’ and improve.
"The Silver Award is testament to all the hard work of staff and their commitment to delivering the highest standards and a great match experience.”
Further background
'The report gives an overall score and individual scores for 12 specific areas. A summary of the touchpoints is provided, with very detailed assessor feedback and recommendations for improvements. If we pass the required standards across the two visits, then we can be awarded the EFL Family Excellence Award. This season, we achieved the Silver Award. The club has achieved the Family Excellence Award in every year, apart from one since it was established over a decade ago.'
