SAINTS WIN FAMILY CHAMPIONS RECOGNITION AT SPL AWARDS
26th July 2016
Stuart McCall, Leigh Griffiths and Victor Wanyama may have been the headline grabbers at Monday night’s Clydesdale Bank SPL Awards in Glasgow but Saints were among the others to receive recognition at the event – picking up the Clydesdale Bank Family Champions Award.
The aim of the Family Champions initiative is to help the clubs to attract and retain more new families and their children – the next generation of fans. The SPL send ‘mystery shopper’ families to matches at each club to find out more about their experience.
A spokesman for the SPL said: “There were so many specific instances of ‘best practice’ family engagement at McDiarmid Park that St. Johnstone were the judges unanimous choice for winner of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League Family Champions award for Season 2012-13.
From the family-friendly website (which was improved following the feedback the club received from the first family visit this season) and the excellent ‘free’ under 12s deal to various examples of club staff going ‘the extra mile’ for families, there is evidence of a continuously improving family experience that is not just focused on making it easy for families to come along, but providing those moments of magic that make them never forget their visit.
Saints offer tasty local produce, whilst the well regulated family stand houses large numbers of noisy kids who are a testament the entertainment received both from mascot SuperSaint, and from Steve Lomas’ team on the pitch.
As an example of a forward-looking club, who listen and react to feedback and focus both on making it easy and magical for families, St Johnstone richly deserve their award this seasonâ€.
PHOTO: Chairman Steve Brown receives the award at Monday night's event from Sharon Makepeace, one of the mystery shoppers.