Thu 14 May - Posted in Breaking News
Time to read: 3mins
Derby County is proud to have been awarded an EFL Family Excellence Gold Award for the 2025/26 campaign, the fourth time in six seasons the club has achieved the highest accolade for engaging families on matchdays.
The club ranked 2nd of all Sky Bet Championship sides - a marked rise from 14th in 2025/26 - and 7th across the 72 EFL clubs - a jump from 26th last term.
The annual report is concluded following two visits across the course of the season from family assessors who review every stage of the matchday journey for families and first-time visitors with a score out of ten. Clubs achieving gold status achieve a combined score of 8.5 or higher across the two assessments.
The club received particular praise for the ‘quality and variety of its dedicated family activity areas,’ noting both visits prominently highlighted ‘a fantastic matchday experience for young supporters at Pride Park Stadium’.
Rammie and Ewie’s Activity Zone in Harrison's Hub drew further acclaim from assessors, citing the wide range of activities, games, and crafts for junior fans, which helped to make the matchday experience more than just the 90 minutes of football.
The Gold Award follows a concerted effort across the club to further enrich the matchday experience for all supporters at Pride Park, from additional pre-match communication across our Online Matchday Hub, to providing priority early access windows for visitors with additional needs, to extending the offering of in-bowl interactive content.
Pride Park was also enhanced with external stadium maps to ease navigation for supporters, as well as the extension of fan-led artwork in the North Stand Family Area, while the expansion of our Fans’ Zone, Bustler at Pride Park, elevated the pre and post-game atmosphere with live entertainment, additional bars, independent street food vendors, and family-focused activities in our dedicated Young Rams Corner.
Simon Carnall, Derby County’s Chief Operating Officer, said:“We are thrilled to regain Gold Family Excellence status, and to come second in the league is testament to the unwavering effort made by staff over the course of the season. Ensuring we are a family-friendly club is a huge priority, and the report has rewarded so many of our touchpoints with fantastic scores, showing that we are invested in making Pride Park a friendly and welcoming place across all areas and initiatives.”
EFL Chief Executive Officer, Trevor Birch, said:“We are incredibly proud to see clubs excelling in the EFL’s Family Excellence Scheme this season. Their success reflects their dedication to creating welcoming, inclusive, and enjoyable matchday experiences for families across the country.
“The scheme is designed to support Clubs as they grow their family offer, enabling them to inspire lifelong connections with supporters and engage the next generation of fans.”
Find out more about the Matchday Experience for supporters at Pride Park Stadium by clicking HERE.
