Hull City one of five Yorkshire clubs to receive EFL Family Gold Excellence Award as Acun Ilicali's efforts bring fans back into stadium

Doncaster Rovers, Huddersfield Town, Middlesbrough and Rotherham United are Yorkshire's other representatives amongst the 12 clubs to have received the award, to recognise those clubs who deliver "an outstanding match-day family experience."

Middlesbrough also won a gold award last season, whilst for Doncaster it is the fifth year running.

The scheme, which has been running since 2006-07, sees "mystery fans" make two visits a season to clubs, providing an assessment of the family experience.

Hull's includes face painters, table football, speed cages, street food, live DJ sets, stations to play the FIFA computer game, and the Hull City Sesh, where local bands play on the east concourse.

The longer the Allam family were in control of the club, the wider and more painful the gulf between it and is supporters became, with huge numbers boycotting matches.

Since buying the club in January 2022, new chairman Acun Ilicali has made a real effort to entice supporters back focused on but not limited to children.

Cheap tickets for juniors have been a feature of his regime, and free coach travel was laid on for the final nine matches of the season.

The results have been tangible, with league gates for 2022-23 being up 38 per cent to an average of 17,973 despite a disappointing season on the field which saw the Tigers finish 15th.

The club’s chief commercial officer, Joe Clutterbrook, said: “We’re really proud to achieve this recognition from the EFL, but we are even more proud of our increasing attendances and rising numbers of young fans and families supporting Hull City.

“We are constantly reviewing matchdays to ensure we deliver a great day out and the credit goes to a huge number of people that work really hard behind the scenes to give our fans as good an experience as possible.“This kind of feedback tells us we are heading in the right direction, but we are aiming to improve even more and look forward to seeing more fans back at the MKM Stadium next season.”Doncaster’s chief operating officer Shaun Lockwood said: “We are incredibly proud to continue our record of winning the Gold Award, which demonstrates that we put families at the heart of what we do and retains our status as one of the very elite in family excellence, which is a badge we wear with real honour.”

“Delivering an affordable and enjoyable experience is key to ensuring the next generation of Town fans come through the turnstiles and want to keep coming back,” said Huddersfield’s head of supporter services Robyn Kennerdale.

Barnsley, Bradford City, Sheffield U nited, Sheffield Wednesday, and for the first time in their short Football League history, Harrogate Town, received excellence status.