Pl Backs 2018 Bid With New Stadia Scheme

The Premier League has teamed up with tourism body VisitEngland to develop a new customer assessment scheme for football stadia – designed to improve grounds across the country for England’s 2018 World Cup bid.

All 20 Premier League Clubs are to be assessed under VisitEngland’s ‘Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme’ to ensure the best possible experience for football fans.

The scheme covers eight areas of the match experience for the 13m plus fans that are expected to come through top-flight turnstiles this season.?

Telephone and email enquiries, website content and ticket purchasing will all be looked at under the scheme as will approach to stadiums and parking.

Stadium layout, stewarding, pre-match entertainment and programme content will be assessed and quality of seating, stewarding, atmosphere and half-time entertainment will all be included in the scheme.

Catering, toilets, the club shops and the exits at the end of matches will all be looked at so that England’s top flight stadia can be at the very top standards if the England was awarded the 2018 World Cup.

The Premier League has also partnered with The Football Association, The Football League and the Football Safety Officers’ Association to develop a new stewards’ training package.??

The League has also published research that confirms that more families and ethnic minorities are attending Premier League matches. 19% of all adult match attendees are women, 13% are children and 8% are ethnic minority.

The research was based on the 13.6m fans who attended Premier League matches during the 2008/09 season.