Posted on 17th May 2018
This is a story from the FSF archive – the FSF and SD merged to become the FSA in 2019.
Cardiff City, Wigan Athletic and Notts County have all been singled out for praise for how they welcome away fans at their stadiums.
The three clubs have been announced as the divisional winners of the EFL’s 2017/18 Away Fan Experience Campaign.
Supported by the FSF, away fan experiences at all 72 clubs were recorded by match-going supporters for the EFL measuring a number of factors such as information provided to travelling fans, first impressions, matchday welcome, quality of catering and accommodation.
Based on the feedback gathered from fans, the experiences at the 24 clubs in each division were assessed and narrowed down to produce one overall winner in each division.
FSF deputy chief executive David Rose said: “Away fans put in the most time, money and effort to follow the club they love.
“They make a huge contribution to the live experience and are often the catalyst for a great atmosphere.
“The FSF welcomes an initiative that will encourage clubs to show how much they value some of football’s most passionate and loyal supporters.
“We will continue to support the EFL with this project and their efforts to develop the away experience over the coming seasons.”
The Away Fan Experience awards are now in their second season and aim to uncover examples of positive away-day experiences amongst supporters – offering clubs an insight into the quality of experience fans have when visiting their ground.
Thanks to PA Images for the picture used in this article.
The EFL has invited all supporters to an upcoming Fans Forum which will look at the current match experience – the free event takes place on Tuesday 28th March (6.30pm-8pm) and will be hosted by Sky Sports’ David Prutton with a panel of supporters and football industry figures.
Figures from across football and supporters from various fan groups came together earlier this week as the EFL hosted a live match experience fan forum, in association with the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA).
The 2020-21 season in tiers three to six of the women’s game has been curtailed, the FA’s women’s football board announced yesterday.
Three-quarters (74.8%) of fans intend to return to stadiums from the first fixture in August, with two-thirds of supporters (65.2%) describing themselves as ‘excited’ and four in ten (41.7%) ‘optimistic’ about a return to grounds next season according to the results of an FSA survey.
