Carlisle United have had a visit from a mystery shopper and has been praised for its atmosphere.
The anonymous independent visitor was there to assess the match day experience for families at Brunton Park.
Each year EFL clubs have two unannounced visits and receive feedback, reports and recommendations on how to improve.
After the nationwide visits clubs are benchmarked against others in League two and across the rest of the EFL. The first assessment ranked United seventh of 24 in League Two and 28th of 72 in the EFL.
The independent report concluded: “In spite of the challenges of the post-COVID match day, once again Carlisle United provide plenty of evidence of a strong focus on attracting and retaining the next generation of fans.
“There was a strong community presence and family feeling at the club, which is evidenced by the family zone, engaging staff, updated social media presence, community events, excellent programme content, etc.
“Our assessments over recent seasons have uncovered a strong culture of engagement at the club which, right now, will serve their future well.”
Ticket office manager Louise Banks was singled out for her superb service.
The report said: “Louise advised there would be lots of activities for kids but with no players currently going in due to COVID.
“This was brilliant, and immediately set my expectations, giving me an idea of how to plan my day. I asked about parking, and Louise was again very clear about where to find this, and the cost.”
The new SLO team was also highlighted with the observation – “There is a new SLO set-up which was created in summer 2021, and offers more meeters and greeters, which was evident around the outside of the stadium.”
There was praise also for the Family Zone in the East Stand – “There was a family zone consisting of craft areas, snooker table, table football, computers, soft-play and settees. [There was] one set of toilets asking to be kept empty ‘for our younger fans’, which I found very good.”
Chief executive Nigel Clibbens said: “The independent report is an improvement, and very positive.
“It is testament to all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes off-the-field, week-in-week-out.
“Of course, much of what fans see is just on the game day, but every single day the operations staff are contributing to improve and make the match day the best it can be.
“That goes from the pre-match information and taking the first phone call to personal interaction with fans on the day.
“It is testament to the staff they continue to get on and perform at a high level compared with the rest of League Two, and even clubs in higher divisions in this area. It’s great for their effort to be recognised.
“All this effort to go the extra mile can be easily overlooked given the stadium challenges, especially when results or other club issues are in the spotlight, and criticism then becomes the norm.
“That’s expected, but it means it is also easy for much of the good we do to be overshadowed.
“This is why independent benchmarking and balanced unbiased feedback is so valuable. Positive comment coming from these visits really helps boost morale. It is not about working hard, it is about actual achievement and what we do.
“The process is valuable as it gives recommendations and ideas and feedback to improve, as well as allowing us to see how we compare with other clubs.
“Our score has improved since 19/20 and we are always looking at ways to get better.
“If we achieve the required standards across the two visits, then we can be awarded the EFL Family Excellence Award.
“The club has achieved the Family Excellence Award in every year bar once, since it we established over a decade ago.”
