Lord Mawhinney, Chairman of the Football League, hailed Wolves' family initiatives as he officially opened the club's Family Information Centre prior to Saturday's Wolves 4 Family Football game against Burnley. Over 1700 Wolves 4 Family Football tickets were sold for the special family game.
The Football League Chairman spent time talking to young fans and their families before touring the new centre. Lord Mawhinney also met representatives from Wolves in the Community, The Football League Trust and from Child Safe.
Wolves are the first club in football to launch the Child Safe Initiative, which will be offered via the new Family Information Centre. Child Safe has been successfully introduced in over 90 shopping centres across the UK. The initiative provides children with free wristbands for parents' or guardians' contact numbers so that, in the event of a child being lost, the parent or guardian can be contacted quickly.
Lord Mawhinney, said: "I really applaud the work that Wolves are doing. As I visit other clubs, I'll be spreading the word about Wolves' Family Information Centre. Developing the next generation of supporters is so important and something that I've been banging the drum about for a long time. I guarantee that today's game, as per every match at Molineux, will be the biggest expression of community in Wolverhampton this week."
There were a host of family activities on offer, both inside and outside of the ground, including: free fairground stalls, giveaways, stilt walkers and clowns.
One Mum, who emailed the club, said: "I thought I would just email, as a family of 2 children 5 and 7 years, how we totally enjoyed the Wolves v Burnley match. My children love football but I have never taken them to watch a professional team before.
"The atmosphere was fantastic, we were all jumping and shouting for the wolves! It really was great. I really hope you will do more of these days. My son a very strong manu fan came out wanting to support the wolves. I was in shock! He wanted the shirt. I think you now have 2 new young fans! It was a brilliant idea who thought of this for families. We will definitley be taking advantage of the other days. My son loves the training sessions that the wolves provide after school and I think this is where his interest stemmed from. They do a brilliant job!
Burnley was one of four designated Wolves 4 Family Football fixtures taking place this season, offering special discounted tickets for families. A Wolves 4 Family Football ticket costing £40 will entitle two adults and two juniors (under 17) entry to the Steve Bull lower tier where a special family atmosphere will be created.
The entertainment includes face painters, jugglers, football skills competitions and much more. Tickets are still available for the other three matches (Barnsley 13th Dec, Preston 10th Jan, Plymouth 28th Feb) from the TicketLine on 0871 222 1877. Families will also be able to secure car parking in close proximity to the stadium. Car park tickets can be booked at the same time for an additional £5.
