From the SLO DAVE MATTHEW-JONES
This afternoon we welcome the supporters of Bolton Wanderers to the Abbey Stadium. Bolton are a club with a rich history going back to 1874. Bolton were one of the 12 founder members of the Football League, which formed in 1888. At the time Lancashire was one of the strongest footballing regions in the country, with 6 of the 12 founder clubs coming from within the boundaries of this historic county. Having remained in the Football League since its formation, the name ‘Wanderers’ was chosen as the club initially had a lot of difficulty finding a permanent ground to play on, having used three venues in their first four years of existence. One of the most important days in their history was when they won the 1923 FA Cup Final before a crowd of 126,047 (official) or up to 300,000 (estimate). The match is often referred to as the “White Horse Final” after the police horse that moved the crowd off the pitch for the match to commence. The EFL organise the Family Excellence Scheme which was launched during the 2006/07 season to reward clubs in their efforts to deliver an outstanding match-day family experience.
The scheme revolves around ‘mystery fan’ visits made to all EFL clubs each season, with assessors and family groups reporting back on their experiences across a range of touchpoints. The assessments and the feedback they produce help foster a commitment to continuous improvement, and the scheme has seen clubs set benchmark standards in providing such things as family fun zones, family-oriented concourse entertainment, matchday activity schedules, creative catering options, interaction with club mascots, players and enthusiastic family-friendly club staff. These visits, and the positive changes made as a result, go towards determining whether clubs are awarded Family Excellence status each season, a desirable and important endorsement to further promote the matchday experiences they offer to new and existing families and their wider fan-bases. The following are the list of clubs that obtained the Gold Award for the 2019/2020 season = Blackburn Rovers, Brentford, Cardiff City, Doncaster Rovers, Exeter City, Luton Town, Middlesbrough, Peterborough United, Plymouth Argyle, Queens Park Rangers. Cambridge United obtained the Silver Award, so we still have some work to work to reach those obtaining the Gold Standard. One of the clubs that leads in this area is Doncaster who we play against Saturday 4th September against Doncaster. If you want to purchase tickets for the Away Travel coach, visit CFU’s website. Having attended Family Excellence meetings during recent years, Doncaster really do go that further step and show what is possible during the lead up to and on matchdays. Every club has different facilities available to them and it is easier to do events in newly built stadiums, however it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try. Please look after yourself and enjoy following the team home and away this season. You can contact me via dave.matthewjones@cambridge-united.co.uk. www.cambridge-united.co.uk
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