Traditionally, the words "family" and "football" have gone together like Cristiano Ronaldo and self-effacing. Our national game shirked any kind of customer care; spectators – relatively few of them women or children – just had to accept that a football club's "product" began and ended on the pitch. Take it or leave it.

But since the last Guardian survey of football clubs' attitudes to families, in 2006, we have witnessed a step-change: flexible pricing, supporter consultation, family zones and imaginative matchday entertainments have become (almost) the norm, as clubs wake up to the fact that the support of the next generation cannot be taken for granted.

This is in no small part down to the work of supporters' groups all over the country, and initiatives such as the Family Excellence awards, which since 2007 have been arranging mystery shopper-style visits by families to every Football League club twice a season.

The impact of this work is clear at every level. Last season, 29% of Premier League supporters went to one or more matches accompanied by children, and 13% of season-ticket holders are now juniors. Cardiff City's efforts have seen an increase in family season ticket holders from 459 four years ago to nearly 8,000 last season, long before promotion to the Premier League was clinched.

So while the general picture is encouraging, some clubs are worthy of particular praise for pioneering new initiatives that make football matches fun, safe and fulfilling days out for all the family. Here are 20 of those clubs …

Cardiff City

Cardiff City stadium

cardiffcityfc.co.uk; ticket hotline: 0845 345 1400; family stand season ticket: £59 (u16); £379 (adult)

Cardiff were the first two-time winners of the Football League's Family Club of the Year award. One innovation is turnstiles that automatically recognise a young fan's birthday, triggering a special greeting, gift and even a treat such as sitting in the manager's dugout before the game. The family stand's concourse has a magician's school where kids learn to perform tricks of the non-footballing kind, while visiting supporters are welcomed by catering staff wearing the away club's shirts.

Manchester City

Manchester City runs a website just for young fans. Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Etihad stadium

mcfc.co.uk; ticket hotline: 0161 444 1894; family stand season ticket: £115 (u16); from £450 (adult)

A club built on uniquely strong bonds with fans has in recent years introduced many excellent family friendly initiatives, including junior-sized kiosks (and portions) at family stand food outlets, breast-feeding facilities, and match-day entertainment including magicians and face painters. City's green-jacketed Play Makers are there to provide a warm welcome and answer any questions from new fans of any age. The club have also launched a website, City Kicks, especially for young fans (citykicks.mcfc.co.uk).

Sunderland

Stadium of Light

safc.com; ticket hotline: 0871 911 1973; family stand season ticket: £450 (1 adult + 1 u16)

As well as impressive ticket discounts for family groups (including season tickets for under-16s at £99), Sunderland are another club to have transformed the traditional dowdy image of a stadium concourse. The south-east corner of the Stadium of Light has been made over into a brightly coloured and engaging family zone, where children can spend time before games playing "virtual projected football", watching cartoons and having their faces painted. The zone extends outside the stadium too, with a live stage building the atmosphere and ensuring that kids have a day to remember.

Liverpool

Anfield

liverpoolfc.com; ticket hotline: 0843 170 5555; family stand season ticket: £200 (u17); from £760 (adult)

Anfield's Fan Park, opened last season, offers inspiring initiatives for young Liverpool fans, such as the chance to post a letter to their favourite player or submit their own match report. Children can also try to catch the eye of coaches in pre-match five-a-side games and penalty shoot-outs. Last season, their stewards were given the award for "warmest Premier League welcome".

Fulham

Craven Cottage

fulhamfc.com; ticket hotline: 0843 208 1234; family stand season ticket: from £125 (u16); £449 (adult)

Fulham have pioneered the My First Game initiative, offering children coming to their debut match a day-out to remember. Typically, this includes a stadium tour, a match-pack of Fulham goodies, and a certificate signed by the manager, Martin Jol. It's a sensible move: with so many kids tempted to support the biggest clubs, a strong first impression can create a fan for life. Newcomers are further welcomed by Fulham's tireless supporter liaison officer, Tommy Guthrie, who won last season's unsung hero award for his commitment to making new fans feel welcome and well-informed.

Championship

Reading

Madejski stadium

readingfc.co.uk; ticket hotline: 0844 249 1871; season ticket: £145 (u17); from £395 (adult)

You can tell a lot about a club's commitment to young supporters by their cookie bags. Well you can at Reading, anyway: for years, they have sold cookies to home fans in bags designed by their junior supporters (a different design each week), and last season extended this to the away end too, asking in advance for designs from young fans of the visiting club. While home family areas are served by baseball-style food sellers, Reading also reserve an area in the visitors' section for family groups, and go to the trouble of sending young fans experiencing their first away game a matchday programme signed by their team's players. Not surprising, then, that last season the club received thank-you letters from fans of every single visiting Premier League club.

Brighton & Hove Albion

Young Brighton & Hove Albion supporters. Photograph: Ed Simons/Alamy

American Express community stadium

seagulls.co.uk; ticket hotline: 0844 327 1901; family stand season ticket: £125 (u16); £485 (adult)

Since moving to their smart new Amex stadium two seasons ago, Brighton have stepped up their efforts to welcome families, with entertainments for Young Seagulls backed up by flexible ticket prices and free access to the team's open training sessions. The knock-on effect has been regular sell-out crowds and an upgrading of the stadium's capacity to more than 30,000. The players buy into the ethos too: Spanish defender Iñigo Calderón received last season's Football League Player in the Community award for his work designing and delivering educational workshops to schoolchildren and other young people in the area.

Doncaster Rovers

Keepmoat stadium

doncasterroversfc.co.uk; ticket hotline: 01302 762576; family stand season ticket: £80 (u17); £379 (adult)

Doncaster Rovers – who as well as clinching the League One title won their sixth consecutive Family Excellence award last season (one of eight league clubs to achieve this feat) – have pioneered the use of supporter consultation to continually improve their match-day experience. As well as face painting and Wii games, the Family Zone offers young fans a chance to form the club's guard of honour and even take penalties on the pitch.

Huddersfield Town

John Smith's stadium

htafc.com; ticket hotline: 01484 484123; family stand season ticket: £104 (u18); from £224 (adult)

From the kids' pull-out section in the matchday programme to a community project serving up free hot breakfasts to hundreds of local schoolchildren, Huddersfield Town's commitment to young fans is unstinting. Another club that has won the Family Excellence award every year since its inception, their aim is to give families a whole day's worth of excitement for their matchday money – starting with the morning academy match at Canalside, all the way through to collecting autographs in the Stripes bar after the final whistle. Another innovation last season was the Town Family: a team of club experts who cheerfully greet new and existing fans before each game.

AFC Bournemouth

Dean Court

afcb.co.uk; ticket hotline: 0844 576 1910; family stand season ticket: £300 (1 adult + 1 u16)

Last season's League One family club of the year offers free entry to matches for all under eights, as well as a 25% discount on family tickets. Lauded for its "outstanding delivery of activities to attract and retain family attendance", Bournemouth's Junior Fanzone boasts everything from giant Jenga and Connect4 games to street dancing and the one-and-only Mr Balloon Man. As if that wasn't enough, look out for visits from injured players and the cuddly club mascot, Cherry Bear.

Birmingham City

St Andrew's

bcfc.com; ticket hotline: 0844 557 1875; family stand season ticket: £399 (1 adult + 1 u16)

Not so long ago, Birmingham's reputation for serving the needs of families was woeful. Not any more: the pace of change has been heartwarming, with the club's family area getting a striking (and entirely deliberate) makeover last season by renowned local graffiti duo, KeMeF Inc – who once appeared on Birmingham's "most wanted" list ... Inside, footie-themed lunchboxes and candy floss are served to youngsters at the Home Sweets Home kiosk, while excitement levels are maintained with pre-match and half-time competitions, former player appearances and special big-screen features.

League One

MK Dons



stadiummk

mkdons.com; ticket hotline: 01908 622900; family stand season ticket: £24 (u18); £324 (adult)

A club that has attracted torrents of abuse from rival fans for their controversial move from Wimbledon in 2003 cannot be criticised for the work they do to entertain younger fans on matchdays. With no traditional fanbase in Milton Keynes, the club has worked hard to attract families to stadiummk, and as a result boasts the highest proportion of under-21 season-ticket holders in the Football League (currently 35%). Matchdays full of family entertainment are backed up with supremely competitive pricing for juniors: season tickets for under-18s cost just £24 in the family stand, while under-sevens get in free.

Bristol City

Ashton Gate

bcfc.co.uk; ticket hotline: 0117 963 0600; family stand season ticket: £339 (1 adult + 1 u18)

The Robins of Bristol have been recognised as the Football League's friendliest club. The warm, family focused welcome begins on the club's website with a video guide by City legend Scott Murray, and is maintained throughout matchdays by staff who are hand-picked for their ability to make families feel welcome. Oodles of pre-match fun and games are on offer for kids at the indoor community park, with music provided by local bands and DJs. What's more, youngsters attending their first match are awarded a signed cap by a City player.

Tranmere Rovers

Prenton Park

tranmererovers.co.uk; ticket hotline: 0871 221 2001; family Stand season ticket: £396.50 (1 adult + 1 u17)

Another multiple winner of the Family Excellence award, Tranmere Rovers were the first league side to produce their own welcome to our club video, given out to all families visiting Prenton Park for the first time to tackle any concerns they may have. With the mighty Liverpool and Everton on their doorstep, the quality of matchday experience is vital to Tranmere maintaining healthy attendances – as is their impressive work in the local community, which now boasts 22 sport and education projects and nearly 35,000 local participants.

Crawley Town

Broadfield stadium

crawleytownfc.com; ticket hotline: 01293 410000; family stand season ticket: £115 (u18); £395 (adult)

Since joining the Football League in 2011, Crawley's reputation has grown off the pitch as well as on it – with children and families at the forefront. Last season's efforts were rewarded when the club was named the Football League's most improved family experience, thanks to initiatives such as the transformation of the old police control room, with its panoramic view of the stadium, into a space to host kids' matchday birthday parties. Other nice touches include selecting a family to sit in the home dugout before each match, and a competition that brings young fans out on to the pitch during half-time.

League Two

Portsmouth

Fratton Park

portsmouthfc.co.uk; ticket hotline: 0844 847 1898; family stand season ticket: £90 (u17); £360 (adult)

Even as Pompey reached a new low on the pitch last season, with relegation to the league's bottom division, off it they continued to set new standards for fan engagement, with Fratton Park's family friendly atmosphere seemingly undimmed by the club's financial woes. The interactive Kidzone has a cinema showing footage of matches, as well as loads of games, quizzes – and free fruit juice. A Portsmouth player visits the zone before each match to answer questions, while one lucky family get to sit in the coaches' dugout as the players warm up. At the end of last season, the club even organised a junior blues sleepover, showing a film and dishing up pizza before everyone bedded down for the night – on the middle of the pitch!

Wycombe Wanderers

Adams Park

wycombewanderers.co.uk, ticket hotline: 01494 441118; family stand season ticket: £90 (u19); £270 (adult)

Wycombe's stewarding team, led by dynamic safety officer Richard Stanford, have long been hailed for their friendly, positive approach – with particular emphasis on cutting out bad language and making families with young children feel welcome (under-eights qualify for free season tickets in the family stand). Another boon for families (and the environment) is the stadium's free car-parking initiative for cars carrying four or more people. Just make sure you arrive in plenty of time to visit the large marquee outside the ground, in which Sports and Education Trust coaches run activities and games for children of all ages.

Plymouth Argyle

Home Park

pafc.co.uk; ticket hotline: 0845 872 3335; family stand season ticket: £384 (1 adult + 1 u18)

Last season's League Two family club of the year offers football lessons as part of its Matchday Magic package for home and away fans. The club and its community trust have transformed a section of Home Park into the family zone, where budding Argyle supporters can enjoy a variety of invigorating pre-match activities "for mind and body". In addition, Plymouth, in partnership with Barnardo's, have established Young Carers, an initiative that offers matchday respite to young people who find themselves caring for others.

Oxford United

Kassam stadium

oufc.co.uk; ticket hotline: 01865 337533; family stand season ticket: £93 (u16); £375 (adult)

The reflectively glazed area at the entrance to the Kassam stadium has proved a popular matchday meeting point for families, with tables, televisions, club shop stall and licensed bar. United's excellent football in the community scheme offers morning-of-matchday training sessions for young fans, followed by a pre-match meal, a half-time lap of honour and, for a lucky few, a nail-biting competition on the pitch.

Scottish Premier League

St Johnstone

Celtic FC recently opened a family zone and runs the Young Hoops club. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images Europe

McDiarmid Park

perthstjohnstonefc.co.uk; ticket hotline: 01738 455000; family stand season ticket: £325 (1 adult + 1 u17)

The Perth-based club capped last season's successful on-pitch showing (third place) by picking up the Scottish Premier League's Family Champions award. The glowing praise of visiting mystery shopper families meant the decision was unanimous, with Saints hailed for everything from their welcoming website – with its first-time visitor page detailing healthy (locally sourced) food for children inside the ground – to free tickets for fans under 12 and Super Js young supporters club. The club also offers children's birthday parties that include an hour's play on the all-weather pitch and a football signed by the team for the birthday child. Families are becoming a much bigger priority among Scottish clubs, with Rangers and St Mirren also at the forefront. Celtic recently opened their first family zone.