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Blues enjoy success in Premier fan survey

, 8 April, 0comments  |  Jump to most recent

Everton has been voted the best in the Premier League in a host of key areas, with junior ticket prices, stewarding and ease of buying tickets online all topping the table in the wide-reaching, annual fan survey.

  • Everton's ticket prices for juniors voted best in the Premier League by supporters
  • Everton's stewarding and policing operations top the table
  • Blues take first place for ease of getting ticket information and buying tickets online
  • The commitment to making matchdays memorable is delivering according to the survey, with the overall matchday experience ranked as second best in the Premier League, jumping from seventh place last season.
  • An overwhelming 97 per cent of Evertonians felt positively towards the Club and the majority said that the Club was well-run, exceeding the average across the Premier League.      

With 36,878 football fans taking part in the independent research nationwide, including 1,665 Evertonians, the Premier League Fan Survey gauges overall attitudes towards each club, as well as asking supporters to rank overall matchday experience, customer service, ticketing facilities and stadium safety.

In almost every category, Everton has registered a year-on-year improvement, and in many areas, notably ticketing and the matchday experience, the Club has jumped ahead of all its rivals in the Premier League.

An ongoing commitment to welcoming the next generation of Evertonians to Goodison Park has led to the Club taking the top spot for the pricing of tickets for young Blues. The Club's safety team has also fared positively in the research, with Everton stewards topping the table for the second successive season.  The policing operation, delivered in partnership with Merseyside Police, is also ranked the best in the league after jumping from sixth place last year.

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And following a sustained effort to make the Club easier to buy from, the Blues have been ranked number one for ease of obtaining ticket information and purchasing tickets online.

The Premier League has conducted the survey for the past 18 seasons, consulting supporters across every club in the top-flight. Evertonians who took part in the survey have been attending matches at Goodison Park for an average of 21 years, and the vast majority felt that the Club's significant contribution to their local community was an important part of the culture and philosophy of the Toffees.  

Robert Elstone, Chief Executive Officer, said: “Every day, across everything we do, we aspire to ‘nil satis nisi optimum', and the judges of whether we reach that lofty bar are of course, our fans. That's why the results of this year's Premier League Fan Survey are so pleasing.

“Not only do they endorse continued and significant improvement across the board, and, in many areas top four (and higher) positions, they tell us our four-pronged strategy, focusing on matchdays, how easy it is for fans to get their hands on tickets and merchandise, fan engagement and securing the best possible insight into our fans' interests, needs and wants, is really working.

“I'm most pleased they show year-on-year improvement. In almost every category, fans are saying we're getting better, and not just this season versus last. The graphs are all pointing upwards over the past five seasons.
I'm also delighted the fans are saying they're happy with the contribution made by our partners. Our catering and retail teams score high in the top 10 and our match day police are rated the best in the league. Well done to all of them. Our partners clearly feel part of the Everton team and are responding with high levels or improving performance.

“The results also tell me our team is working really hard, has a clear focus and is doing the things that matter to our fans. We're celebrating these excellent results, but, as I've said on countless occasions, we don't rest on our laurels. We're as competitive off the pitch as we are on it and top-flight status in operations, pricing or marketing and everything we do away from Finch Farm can never be taken for granted.”

Further highlights of the Premier League Fan Survey include:

  • Engaging with fans is a continued priority for Everton and an impressive 70 per cent said that the Club listens to supporters, compared to an average of 38 per cent across the top-flight.
  • The traditional Goodison atmosphere undoubtedly contributed to the high praise for the overall experience, with 96 per cent rating it as ‘very good' or ‘good'.
  • The facilities on offer to junior Blues at Goodison Park exceeded the Premier League average, with the vast majority of attendees noting that Everton make an effort to make the stadium a child-friendly environment.
  • Goodison Park was rated as the second most welcoming stadium in the top-flight.
  • A massive 89 per cent rated evertonfc.com highly in the research, with the vast majority visiting the Club's official website at least two-three times a week — making it the second most visited in the Premier League.
  • Club staff were highly-rated by match attendees with Everton's telephone customer service staff ranked fourth out of the 20 clubs.  Goodison's catering team ranked third, our ticket office assistants ranked fifth, our programme sellers ranked fifth and the corporate sales team ranked sixth.

 

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