The Football League's 'Enjoy the Match' campaign has had an immediate and positive impact upon the behaviour of fans on matchdays. This has helped to produce a significant rise in attendances in family areas between August and December 2008.
Attendances in family areas are up 12%, compared to a rise in total crowds of 3% across League football as a whole. This has generated more than £1.5m in additional ticket sales.
The Enjoy the Match campaign was launched at the start of the 2008/09 season. It aims to encourage even more families to attend matches at their local League club by creating a family friendly environment at grounds. This includes the eradication of abusive language and aggressive behaviour from family areas. Of The League's 72 clubs, 68 have already pledged their support to the campaign.
Recent research shows support for the campaign is widespread, with 91% of fans agreeing that by eradicating abusive behaviour, Football League matches are more appealing to families, and consequently 95% agreed that the 'Enjoy the Match' campaign is important. 65% of fans who are aware of the campaign feel it has already made a difference to behaviour in family areas.
Commenting on the results, Football League Chairman, Lord Mawhinney, said: "These findings are encouraging. They show that fans support our efforts, both to get more families attending club games, and also to grow the supporter base.
"Our aim is to build the next generation of Football League supporters and this initiative is a positive step in that direction."