Rams secure gold for matchday family engagement

Derby County has received a top award from the EFL for engaging families on matchdays.

The Rams 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.

The club ranked 2nd of all Sky Bet Championship sides – a marked rise from 14th in 2025/26 – and seventh 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”.

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.”