Hot on the heels of Liverpool FC’s triumph in the Champions League, the club has now won a prestigious venue award. Liverpool has been named Club of the Year in the Premier League’s VisitFootball Stadium Scheme awards. It is the fourth successive season that Anfield has been ranked first by assessors. They visit stadiums to rate the experience for home and visiting supporters. The Reds came first across a number of categories. These included home, visiting supporter and accessibility visits. This helped Liverpool retain top spot for overall fan experience for the 2018-19 season.
A series of recent developments has changed the face of one of the Premier League’s most iconic grounds. These include the main stand and stadium surrounds, fan zones and a new retail store. It is, however, the club’s investment in its people that helps make Anfield such a special place for fans of all teams to visit. Liverpool’s emphasis on people also earned the club the Warmest Welcome award. This is given to the club whose staff are rated first for service, welcome and friendliness.
Fantastic achievement
Peter Moore, Liverpool’s chief executive, said: “We are extremely proud to be awarded Best Club for the fourth consecutive season. It is a fantastic achievement and a real testament to all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes across the club, to deliver a truly memorable match day experience that fans will never forget.”
Katherine Allen, the Premier League’s head of policy and supporter relations said: “VisitFootball helps to make our grounds vibrant, welcoming places to watch and enjoy football by providing advice and support on everything from ticket purchasing to stewarding and stadium facilities to entertainment. Many clubs are achieving higher scores, so we congratulate Liverpool on continuing to provide such a memorable match day and winning two categories this season.”
Cardiff City go extra mile
Cardiff City were named Extra Mile winners, a special merit award given to a club who have adopted an innovative approach to enhancing its match days. Assessors were impressed by the club’s thoughtful approach to prioritising the needs of fans. This was across areas such as ticketing, staffing and stadium logistics. One example was Cardiff’s designated seating section, which ensures visiting supporters always have the option of unrestricted seated views of the match. This scheme was representative of Cardiff’s creative and flexible approach to new ideas that improve their fans’ match day experience.
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