Exeter City Football Club has once again been awarded gold standard in the EFL Family Excellence awards – for the sixth year running.
The Club has been recognised for offering a ‘fantastic family experience, with several standout touchpoints that illustrate the club’s unwavering commitment to the next generation of Grecians.’
Exeter City is one of only 22 to have achieved the gold award out of the 72 clubs in the EFL for the 2025/26 season.
The Grecians were positioned second in Sky Bet League One and an incredible 4th out of all 72 clubs from across the English football leagues with an average score of 9 out of 10!
The EFL’s Family Excellence Scheme assesses the experience clubs provide for match-going families using family matchday assessors, covering a range of touch points 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 United match on September 28, 2025, and the Leyton Orient match on March 26, 2026.
The report stated: “This season's two Family Excellence assessment visits once again highlight a fantastic family experience at St James Park with yet another gold award and several stand out touch points that illustrate the club’s unwavering commitment to the next generation of Grecians.
“The club’s website does a great job promoting matchday activities for supporters via matchday and first-time fan guides, and new visitors are made to feel warmly welcomed on matchday thanks to a proactive and engaging Here to Help team. There is also a great atmosphere at the fanzone with Supporters Trust stalls, a range of refreshments and a visit from the club mascot all adding to the fun.
“The Junior Grecians Zone stood out as a ’brilliant place for kids to be pre match and enjoy some different activities to make it truly more than the 90 minutes’. This report shows the wonderful work the club are doing to turn one off visitors into regular attendees, and causal fans into lifelong supporters. Such dedication to fan engagement will reap the rewards. Congratulations to everyone at Exeter City for another superb effort.
The Family excellence 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 68 EFL Clubs which achieved Family Excellence status, 22 were recognised as 'Gold Award' winners for the exceptional family experience they provide for supporters on matchdays.
Fan engagement and satisfaction run through the DNA of our club and is at the centre of our decision-making processes.
To enable the club to continuously improve its supporter experience at SJP we hold Supporter Experience Roundtables throughout the season. These sessions allow us to understand gather feedback, discuss supporters’ experiences and to explore ways we can improve our engagement with supporters and the matchday experience at SJP. The club also offers frequent Fans’ Forums, the Grecian Groups meetings, and has a dedicated Supporter Experience Working Group behind the scenes.
Wilf Walsh, Club Chair said: “We are really pleased to receive this recognition. Creating a welcoming environment for families is hugely important to us as a supporter-owned club, and this award reflects the work that goes on across the Club to make matchdays at St James Park a positive experience for everyone.
“The recognition is a testament to the hard work of staff and volunteers across the Club, as well as the support of the Exeter City community, in creating a welcoming and inclusive environment at St James Park.”
Richard Knight, City’s Supporter Liaison Officer added: “The whole Club and Trust are delighted to have been rated Gold for the sixth straight season. It’s also pleasing to see that our ranking has also gone up since last season.
“It is really rewarding to read the positive comments from the visits. There are many people who work very hard to create an engaging matchday experience at St James Park. Thank you to all our fantastic staff, volunteers and ambassadors who have contributed to this award.
“It’s been a tough season on and off the pitch for the club, but our supporters are at the heart of everything the Club does. We don’t just stop at being rated Gold, we are constantly aiming to improve what we offer to all visitors to St James Park.”