Adebayor's started so well for Man City
What's it like being a disabled football fan?
UPDATE: 28.01.08
Here's a picture of Jamie Polk, who's the press officer for the . We went along with Jamie to Wigan Athletic's JJB Stadium on 26th January to test out the disabled facilities - and the verdict was they're doing pretty well.
(this link will take you to an external web site).
Have a listen back to the report on Victoria's show (25mins).
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We're sending a reporter to a game this weekend with a fan who uses a wheelchair, to see what it's like (I'm not saying which ground it is - you'll find out on Monday).
But I also want your help...
If you're a disabled footie fan going to a game this weekend (26/27th January), whichever team you're seeing and wherever it is in the UK (and we know there are thousands of you who go), do get in touch.
Maybe you go every weekend and it's always rubbish, or perhaps the club you support really makes sure their disabled supporters are sorted.
So email me - victoria@bbc.co.uk, send me a text to 85058, or post on the blog here.
You can also call me on V-Mail, our 24-hour line. Leave a voicemail message telling me what was good or bad about your matchday experience. Just call 08700 100 500 and select option 5. (Your call will charged at the national network rate.) I'll play the best V-Mail messages on the programme on Monday morning.
I am a Manchester United fan and my girlfriend is in a wheelchair. We live in Plymouth and regularly go to Home Park to watch Argyle. I find that the facilities are woefully inadequate. There are only a finite amount of spaces for disabled patrons and despite recent upgrades in the stadium it is ridiculous that there are only one or two disabled toilets in the entire stadium. Consider the fact that Plymouth has one of the highest disabled populations of any UK city and this is hardly ideal. 'Normal' fans do not have to consider issues such as, will I have to get there extra early to get assisstance into the ground, will I have to consider exactly which stand I am in beforhand or just hold it in, this is a shameful state of affairs and should be considered by the football league and premier league for upheaval. The clubs will not do anything they do not want to do, the minimum requirement is the bane of disabled peoples existence.
One of my best friends (a neutral fan) is in a wheelchair and generally had no problems at most football grounds we've been to. However we tried to get tickets for an FA Cup replay game at Old Trafford for Man Utd Vs Burton Albion knowing it would be easy to get a ticket as a neutral and we were both students in Manchester a few years ago. I got a ticket no problem but my friend would have to pay and join as member of Man Utd in order to get a ticket. I felt disgusted by the clubs attitude so I then gave my ticket to another friend as I would rather not go than see a mate miss out. But, at Molineux (I support Wolves), my disabled friend was treated as royalty. Facilities were great and the staff went out of their way to make sure its disabled fans (including my friend) were well catered for. In my opinion, the smaller clubs in the league treat disabled fans better than the big clubs!!!
I am a wheelchair bound supprter of the addicks and when i was living in england i went to every home game, the facilities where excelant i could get to any part of the ground i wanted and always with assistance if i need it. However a school friend and i decided to go see a chelsea game, with his father being a member he could get us tickets easily, but because of my disability i had to be a member to recieve any disabled tickets. I just wonder how a smaller club with a much more community feel about the club could manage to look after me like i was an equal to everyone else and the bigger club with more of a reputation could not?
Hello guys. My name is Ben Burgess. I am a 23 year old disabled fan of Bristol City. The disability faculties here at Ashton Gate are great. They have disabled toilets. I seat in the Dolman Stand which has excellent facilities. I used to play for the Ability football team. But played only one game where I scored 5 goals against Exeter City ability team.
I am a Cambridge United disabled season ticket holder, and The Abbey Stadium is OK - nothing special - nothing bad - BUT when I went to Molinuex for the recent 3rd round game between Wolves and Cambridge - I would agree with the earlier post - Wolves treat disabled fans like royalty - Well Done Wolves.
RE: M Breslin
I should like to point out that ALL people wishing to see United at Old Trafford are required to be a One United member.
Surely United did not deny your friend a ticket because he is in a wheelchair.
From my own experience, Old Trafford's facilities for disabled people are very good.
I am a Wolves fan from Liverpool, and regularly attend games at Anfield with disabled relatives, including this weekends FA Cup tie vs Havant & Waterlooville.
In general, I would say disabled supporters are catered for very well at Anfield in terms of toilets facilities, catering and stewarding before and after the match, however the problems occur during the match itself.
Unfortunately Anfield does not have any of the raised platforms seen at other more modern grounds (such as Wolves, Reading and the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff), and the access route for fans entering and leaving the stand is to walk along the pitchside directly in front of where the wheelchair seats are.
This regularly means that the disabled fans often cannot see any of the action in the 5 mins before half time and the last 10 mins as people leave early.
Obviously this is an unfortunate logistical problem caused by the design of the Paddock stand, but it is generally disappointing that there is no effort or action from the stewards to usher the crowd along (esp as those exiting suddenly stop and watch if something happens). The stewards seem much more interested in watching the game themselves than doing their job.
I would also like to comment on the Millenium Stadium. I have been fortunate enough to attend several finals there in recent years, and the disabled facilities are excellent, right from the locations (no obstructed views and on platforms in amongst the crowd) to the toilet facilities and catering, and the stewarding is first class, with nothing too much trouble. Wembley has a lot to live up to!
I have been to 3 grounds in my wheelchair and all clubs had good facilites. I go to ibrox if i get phoned and they brilliant. When I went to New Douglas Park to see hamilton versus Clyde it had good faculty. It is a brilliant ground. I also went to see Blackpool play Blackburn at bloomfied road it was a brilliant experience
Hi, I am a disabled footie fan, (Southampton) and a seasonticket holder, and I go to all home games. I would love to b e involved in your phone-in as I am quite vocal about disabled rights generally.
I travel down to Southampton from Eastbourne with my husband for the games (Dedicated, at the very least). St Mary's, the ground, is new and has excellent facilities for us 'wheelies'. We have a private box behind the goal and a private steward who takes orders for hot drinks to be delivered at half time. The facilities are good and we have a communal room which we can go to at half time when it is cold, whÃch it often is! Southampton FC have really thought about their disabled fans and provided the best facilities. I just wish that they would do something about the football!!
I am a wheelchair user and had a season ticket at Ipswich for 6 years, due to finances I didn't renew this year. Portman Road has been recently modernised and offers a great choice of seating and dedicated disabled area stewards who are there game after game and get to know the supporters and their needs. I have been to grounds big and small in the last 10 years and the stewarding has been excellent in the disabled areas. However, I was never able to visit Old Trafford, Anfield or Stamford Bridge when Town were in the Premier League as the grounds only ever offered a handful (4,5,6) of away disabled supporters places, which, quite rightly went to the fans who regularly travelled away. Considering that Ipswich have a smaller ground (30,311) they consistantly offer a good number of tickets to away disabled fans- and so they should as ITFC can cater for 300 fans with all manner of disabilities and as a result ITFC has a very high proportion of disabled fans. In short, if the clubs are prepared to offer the facilities AND the trained staff to steward the areas, disabled supporters and their families will come.
With regards to Man U, My friend tried to get a ticket for her and her son who is a wheelchair user and season ticket holder at ITFC while on their annual holiday in October and despite the fact they HAD spare seats for the game they were only prepared to sell her the tickets IF her son joined the fan club (about £40) they also live in Suffolk and only go north once a year. The only reason they tried Man U is because they try for Liverpool every year and have no luck- although my friends husband was easily able to get tickets in the home stand for him and their eldest (abled-bodied)son. Anfield holds many more than most grounds and the number of wheelchair spaces is comparitively very low. I understand that these are popular clubs and probably have waiting lists but if such efforts can be made to draw in tourists to these clubs why can't they cater for disabled tourists?
On the plus side, I am looking forward to Colchester Uniteds' new ground opening as the facilities will be a billion times better than at Layer Road -they will attract a great many people who don't always want to travel up to Ipswich or down to London to see a professional football match.
What clubs have to realise is that attending a football game is one of the few things a family who has a disabled member can do together.
Best wishes to all supporters, disabled or otherwise!
I hav been to 3 grounds in ma wheelchair the facilities at all 3 grounds are great i went to New Douglas Park to see Hamilton play Clyde It is a brilliant ground it is fit for a premier league match only need more seats in the stadium to meet SPL Standards.
I have been to Ibrox alot and the facilities are gd at Ibrox.
I have also been to Bloomfield road to see blackpool play Blackburn in a pre-season friendly
Hi, my name is Samuel and i am a disabled crystal palace fan. I have been a season ticket holder since 1998 and i go everyweek including some away games. I have to admit the facilities at selhurst aren't great especially for away fans, but i love palace so i don't mind not great facilities as the stadium is old but the atmosphere from home fans in the Arthur Waite is generally top draw. Away matches in a wheelchair are great as you get subsidised tickets and each ground is different but generally you get treated well as stewarts and home fans make sure your looked after. Barnsley WBA and Wolves have been especially good to me over recent seasons. Generally i would stress the positives about being a disabled fan as i have had cross the board good experience, indeed i was involved in a photographic project that emphisised the positive side of access to grounds and we got positive feedback when it was exhibited at palace's centenery exhibition and the national football museum at preston.
Agree with Nicholas Riden, Plymouth the only ground in the UK where the stewards won't let the carers in the away end sit with their disabled supporter!
Barking!!
The 16,000 seat Hindmarsh Stadium here in Adelaide, Australia, has excellent facilities for the disabled.
There are lifts to all levels of the ground in both the Eastern and Western grandstands and reserved spaces for wheelchairs.
There are a good number of disabled-parking spaces right outside both sides of the ground and an escort can be arranged by prior booking.
Not bad for the A league that is only 3 years old.
Not going to a match this weekend because Notts County are away. Went to County on Sat 19th Jan. Very positive. My ticket cost half price and my son's as carer was 25% of full cost. Plenty of room on front row beside touchline with tip up seat adjacent for carer.
Stewards ready to open gates to let us into ground and the appropriate enclosure.
Slight complaint that ticket office window is above wheelchair height for handing over payment.
A good afternoon and even Notts County won at home!
I take my 16 yr old to Leyton Orient about 2-3 times a year. He needs assistance as he can only walk a little and so uses a wheelchair. They have always been great, very helpful. There are special places at pitch level and access is good. At the last game both he and I as his helper were admitted free of charge. Sometimes the stewards provide a hot drink at half time as well. Our oldest son took him to an England game at the new Wembley and came out full of praise for accessability, seat provision and general approach to disabled fans at the stadium.
I am a wheelchair user and I go and watch my team, Hibs almost everywhere in Scotland. At our stadium Easter Road, the stand I sit in is very modern as it was only built in 2001. So therefore facilities are not a problem for me. The view is sometimes not the greatest as wheelchair users are primarily situated down at ground level and seeing things in certain areas of the pitch can be a problem. However in comparison with other grounds in Scotland, Easter Road is one of the best for wheelchair users.
As for other grounds I have visited over the years, they range from very good to very poor.
Tannadice(Dundee Utd)-Wheelchair users are now stuck away in a corner between 2 stands as no provisions have been made in the stand where away fans are situated. No idea how I would go about using their facilities if I was on my own.
Falkirk Stadium(Falkirk)-Situated behind one of the goals at ground level, I don't see very well from where I am and once when I was there when it was raining I got soaked by half time. Facilities are not a problem as it is a brand new stadium.
Fir Park(Motherwell and Gretna)-Absolutely awful. There are NO facilities for wheelchairs in the stand holding the away support, meaning that we have to sit under a bus shelter type of thing that is out in the open. Only problem is, this only allows space for 4 or 5 wheelchairs so any extra people just have to sit exposed to the weather.
Carers are also required to stand during the entire match as there are no seats provided.
Tynecastle(Hearts)-No complaints about the view, apart from if people decide to stand up in the row in front. Facilities are also easily accessible by myself.
Rugby Park(Kilmarnock)-Not the best view as I am in a cowshed down the very front of the stand housing away fans. However we are well catered for as we only have to inform a steward if we need anything to eat/drink.
Love Street(St Mirren)-Very old stand and therefore not the best view. Similar to Falkirk in that we are behind one of the goals, right down the very front. Although I have never enquired, I don't suppose getting food/drink would be a problem.
Hampden(national stadium)-Wheelchair users are either situated right down the very front or alternatively there is room for some wheelchairs in the upper tier of the east stand which gives a far better view and you are right next to the food/drink queues. However you do feel a bit exluded from everyone else.
The stadia I have mentioned above are all belonging to SPL clubs plus Hampden. I have only been to a few non SPL grounds in my time so I cannot comment on them. However, since they are lower league grounds, I can only assume that they are no better than what is available in the SPL.
On the whole, I don't think facilities at Scottish football stadia are suitable for wheelchair using supporters and I would like to see things changed. Ideally we should be situated half way up a stand so that our view of the game is improved but the rows of seats in front of the wheelchair section must be far enough down so that if the people in those seats decide to stand up, our view of the game is not restricted as most wheelchair users cannot stand up to see over them.
I would just like to say how wonderful the Millennium Stadium is in Wales accommodating fans of all types of disabilities. I took my father to see Bristol City in the play-off final a few yeas ago, and though he is not in a wheelchair, they made special arrangements to accommodate him - even with over 70,000 fans in the stadium that day.
A stadium representative rang ahead of the game, saying we had a car parking space in the car park under the stadium, and we were greeted at the car, with an escort all the way to our seats, using lifts. I can't fault their attitude - they were first class, though i can't say the same about the game - we lost 1-0!!
Our daughter is in a wheelchair, we live in the north and support Watford. We go to all Saturday away games that we can up here(midweek is not on: school for her!). We have had eperience of 15 to 20 grounds in the past two years.
On the whole our experiences are pretty positive. The key element is the attitude of the stewards, and we have had some fantastic help beyond the call of duty (Leicester, Burnley, Middlesbro') and occasionally poorer times too (Sheff Utd, but they are not alone). The cheaper ticketing arrangement is so helpful as often the view might be poorer: seats can be at pitch level, sometimes away from the rest of our travelling fans, the hoardings at the side of the ground can be too high to see over properly, etc. Plus we go to enjoy an afternoon together and as much of the football as that allows, so full concentration all the game can be tricky.
Parking can be very hard work. Toilets are a mix of good and horid but these are issues recognised by all fans. Catering arrangements however are not always well thought out and can be impossible to access (again if the stewards are willing to help then this can be overcome). In some cases we have had to sit with home fans (and warned about not wearing colors) but supporting Watford at Scunthorpe was great but might have been a bit less friendly if we had been Grimsby or Hull fans.
A seat for the carer alongside the wheelchar user would be helpful at some grounds: sometimes there just doesn't seem to be any provision for this at all.
Most disabled fans are the same mix of passionate and knowledgeable as 'ordinary' fans, and there is a good cameraderie between disabled fans at different clubs in my view.
Most clubs try their best most of the time. I don't always think there are enough disabled tickets for away fans (sometimes the allocation is tiny) and clubs could do more to address this. Some of the newer grounds have raised platforms which are great. Some clubs strongly believe they are providing spaces under cover but at pitchside that means just hoping the rain doesn't blow the wrong way.
I hope there are some useful comments here (based on Premiership/ Championship experience).
I am a Middlesbrough fan and have had a season ticket for over 10 years now and have only missed about 3 games the entire time. I haven't had one complaint about the facilities at the Riverside for the entire time.
The last I heard we have over 90 wheelchair users who regularly attend the home games. The stadium has a dedicated wheelchair area which is raised up and has minimal disruption to the view when people stand up - this is the same for the away fans who have a raised platform with lift access. For fans on these raised areas the club has recognised that it is not the easiest thing getting down into the concourse for a half time pie so they provide fans with a delivery service at half time - taking orders just before.
Other home fans who don't want to be restricted to the platform can sit on the front row in any of the stands - taking their 'helper' with them for free. This allows supporters to be closer to the action and experience the game sitting with the other fans.
I know the stadium also provides extra facilities and help for those with sight and hearing problems.
I also travel to some of the away games so I have had experience of good facilities and some not so good.
For away games, as a season ticket holder, you have to contact our disabled supporters group in order to put your name on a request list for whatever tickets we are allocated.
I have been to a niumber of matches at grounds other than the Riverside and I can't recall anywhere when the whole experience has been marred by bad facilities.
I think my favorite away ground to visit is Old Trafford, the view is excellent, the stewards are helpful, toilets are good, they have a concourse for disabled fans - just a shame the pies are a bit shoddy!
I think the worst ground I have been to was the Old Wembley. For the league cup final in 97 the Boro were allocated 7 wheelchair places - something we thought was unfair and protested against to make sure that all of our wheelchair fans who wanted to go got a ticket. Lets hope the new Wembley is better equipped when we descend on it in May.
Other grounds that I have been to have all been pretty much the same with adequate facilities - Boltons Reebok Stadium provides an excellent view although the lower concourse was not open so we could not get any half time refreshments, Aston Villa is OK but the toilets aren't the greatest although I expect with it being an older style ground the same would be said by able-bodied fans, St James Park is good there are lifts up to the gods where they try and hide away fans, Man City's Eastlands Stadium is very impressive with good views around the whole ground (I have been a number of times for concerts and for the Commonwealth games).
Spending the dat at Mansfield Town yesterday was a treat - I didn't know what to expect from a lower league club and was pleasantly surprised at the facilities. The stewards were super helpful and for the opinion you get when you walk up to the ground the toilets weren't that bad!!!
I think that on the whole English teams do understand the needs of their disabled supporters and are quite happy to fulfill those needs. Its important for disabled fans to make their day out at the football the best despite the facilities - generally if they are less than adequate for disabled supporters they aren't going to be much, if at all, better than those for able-bodied fans.
Like most able-bodied fans as long as i can get a ticket and get into the ground safely then it doesn't matter about anything else - I am there to support my team not inspect the toilets or the gradient of ramps around the ground - its all about the football.
Going to footall games became the lifeline to get me out the house, after I first became disabled. For that I am grateful.
However I do come across problems at certain grounds. As an away fan at Everton, I struggle to get my chair into the toilet. At Anfield I have to sit with the home fans and when my team scored and I yelled out with delight, a liverpool fan told me to "shut up" and I was fearful that I would be hurt. I was unable to join in with the singing with my own fans as I was fearful of upsetting the Liverpool fans sitting directly behind me. The steward also told my carer if he sung then he would be thrown out.
It is the same experience at Manchester United; we dont sit with our own fans when in fact there is disabled seating in the row in front of them.
At a lot of grounds, where the seating is front row at pitch level the stewards sit right in front of us. As a disabled person you cant easily shuffle your body to watch the game around them. At grounds where the seats are raised if you have able bodied people in front of you they stand up at every exciting moment of the game and I miss the goal or brilliant tackle!
As I said I am grateful for what I have but I dont think it is unreasonable to expect the same ability to enjoy the game as everyone else. Just like them I pay my money for the ticket, the program and the shirt.
As an fan of a Premiership club, i travel to most of my club's away games (if i can get a disabled ticket) and my experience is a little different to many others on this site.
Maybe it's because i am fed up being grateful for accepting the facilities offered to me as a disabled supporter rather than having the choice afforded to my non-disabled friends? for example,
1) i often have to sit pitchside when they can sit higher up.
2) i often have to sit with the home disabled fans or in front of the home able bodied fans and this had led to some trouble...
3) the availability of tickets to away disabled suppoters is poor (we only get between 2 and 8 spaces at many grounds yet non-disabled often get >2,000) and if my club doesn't take up it's full allocation, they reduce the disabled tickets even further!
4) how often do you find you can't turn your wheelchair in a so called accessible toilet?
Things are improving (albeit slowly) and some of the new grounds are much better but what is happening at those grounds where there is no intention of moving - will i still be facing the same problems in 5, 10, 15 years time?
I am a manchester united fan, a wheelchair user and go to home games where I can.
In order to get tickets for a game I have to ring up the night before and see wether I am lucky enough to be one of the first callers. If I am, I get a ticket, if I am not then I don't.
You have to ring in and you inevitably get to the answer machine where you get told to hang up and dial again. This can be a situation where you have to redial easily 15 times or more. It is stressful and you incur a cost for every call. This is the only way I can get a ticket. I have been told that I have to do this in order to stand a chance of getting on a future ticket rota system.
My problem is that I have to pay a carer to take me. I have to book in advance for this care support. With that short a notice period I ending up having to pay someone whether I am successful or not in getting tickets. So last night I was unsuccessful for the Spurs game and therefore I have paid someone to care for me though I am not going to the game.
If I was able bodied then I would know in advance if I had a ticket and make plans accordingly.
Because I am disabled I am being discriminated against.
It is unequal and unfair and I am out of pocket as a result.
It means so much to get out of the house and to go to a game. It gives me a confidence boost.
PJ.
ps I saw from the blog that other people had referred to having to be a one united member to get tickets. This is true and additionally you have to sign up to be a member of the disabled supporters group to get tickets. I dont think able bodied supporters have to sign up to a particular branch. Is this not discrimination too?
I regularly go to football matches as a friend of someone who is a wheelchair-user. The standard of faciltes on offer for disabled peolpe varies from gorund to ground. On the whole though, they are no where near as good as the facilites enjoyed by able-bodied supporters. The most common problem we have experienced is simply being unable to see the pitch. This is due to fans, stewards and other club staff standing in front of wheelchair users. My friend has been unable to see what is happening on the pitch at several grounds including at Liverpool, Wigan and even at the millenium stadium. At the new Wembly stadium we did however, have an unobstructed view of the pitch. Other major problems we have experienced at many grounds are not enough wheelchair spaces or disabled toilets, and being unable to purchase refreshments or park the car close to the ground.
My son Simon and I have just returned from Old Trafford where we watched the game United V Spurs, Simon is a Tetraplegic and would like to attend all Manchester united games both at home and away. the stewarding and general facilities (ability suite, toilets and car parking) as usual were excellent.
Todays game was a fantastic advert for football and our seat on the lower level by the corner flag was excellent (some of the seating on the lower level behind the goal can be affected by able bodied supporters standing up) but this was not the case for us today and with the result going our way, we had a fantastic time.
Attending football matches is always a pleasurable experience no matter what the facilities are like and they can be anything from Brilliant (Newcastle) to dreadful (Birmingam) just being in the stadium is the most important thing.
At Newcastle disabled supporters have a great veiwing platform completely un-obstructed and sit with their own supporters, at Birmingham Disabled fans still get to sit with thier own supporters but the veiwing which is pitchside is dreadful and is not even a solid surface (a dirt track often mud) the decision to locate the press photographers directly in front just makes it even worse, there is also a very steep incline which needs to be negotiated to gain access to the stadium, I wont mention the toileting facilities!
Manchester United have a dedicated disabled supporters association which is heavily over subscribed and as a result is worked on a 3 rota basis with each rota member guaranteed approx 7 premiership matches and 3-4 cup matches depending on if united are drawn at home or away.
Prior to Simon's accident in 1999 Simon attended all home games and the majority of away games, As a disabled Manchester United fan Simon's biggest problem is the lack of guaranteed available places, for away games United usually recieve an average allocation of 8 wheelchair places and as a result there is a lottery to decide who gets them.
At a time when football is awash with money it is time for the goverment to throw away the stadia guide and introduce legislation to improve and increase the facilities for the disabled match day supporter.
I'm an able-bodied fan. Football clubs need to do far, far more than they're doing to ensure football is for EVERYBODY. WE, that's all of us, need to do more to ensure that disabled fans can use public transport the same way we do too. There's not a lot of point having grounds organised to accomodate wheelchair fans if they can't get to the match.
Being for everybody doesn't only mean fans in wheelchairs, it means visually and hearing impaired, grounds need to be a able to cater for different types of able-bodied fans too. Those who prefer to stand, those who prefer to sit, those who want to be with their mates - everybody.
Football is in danger of becoming only for the able-bodied well off.
Steven Powell
Arsenal season ticket holder
London N7
Fulham are last in the number of wheelchair places? I guess you could measure Fulham's commitment to their disabled fans by the number of wheelchair spots they have but it would be very misleading. I have cerebral palsy. I've been supporting Fulham for ten years, since I was four and go to nearly every game. I would prefer to measure Fulham by the kindness and helpfulness of the people who work for the club and the match day stewards. They will go out of their way to make things work and to help people who need assistance. I know from personal experience that our chairman is committed to making sure disabled fans have a great experience at Fulham. I've had plenty of experiences where the buildings are "disabled friendly" but the people who work in them aren't. Fulham have always been a welcoming friendly place. It's the people that make the club. Fulham has some of the best people in football. I know that other clubs in the Premiere league also have great people working for them who go out of their way to help. I've met them at Goodison, Man City, Old Trafford, Newcastle, Spurs, and Chelsea among others. It's hard to measure attitudes toward disability and I know it would be attractive to think that the number of wheelchair places a club has somehow reveals their attitude. But its a flawed measure.
Hello, Iam a disabled Southampton FC fan; I walk with the aid of a stick. Southampton FC look after their disabled fans very well ( good availabilty of WC's , plus a front seat view, so you don't have the problem of people standing up etc. My major problem is that because I walk with a stick, I am always likely to be knocked over as people rush for the exits. The other major problem is that of the standard of football; however that is another debate!
I have attended matches at Manchester City and their facilities for wheelchair users are first class. they give wheelchair users the option of viewing the games from all three levels, the spaces are not hindered by supporters in front and the stewards are extremely helpful. My wife is an ambulant disabled supporter of Manchester City and receives an excellent service from them, both with the price of her seasoncard (which has a 'free' seasoncard for her helper) and with her viewing experience.
Wheelchair users (I am one) have put up with such poor or no service at all, at football grounds that as a group we appear to be overly garteful for the little we do get. Even at the big grounds we are segregated and can only go with a carer. I have three kids and cannot go to games with them. Howevere the Liberty Stadium Swansea has accommodated us with three seats and a space in the same part of the stadium. There are lots of other issues like non-disabled people taking the limited disabled parking and using accessible toilets.
I go watching Oldham with my 8 year old daughter who has Cerebral Palsy which affects her walking. The whole experience of home games is really good for her. We have a blue badge parking spot always kept for us by the car park attendants right near our turnstile and don’t have to pay a parking fee. We don’t sit in the designated area (our choice) but we get allowed to go up to our seats by a stair not open to everyone which is a shorter and easier route. She was recently chosen to be mascot for a game and got treated excellently even down to the teams and officials walking out slowly so they were going at her pace. Oldham captain Neil Eardley (who is only 18) looked after her brilliantly and deserves praise for being thoughtful and understanding.
We have recently started going to away games which I had some concerns about – 5 so far- and with a bit of preparation beforehand we have been given free priority parking at every ground we have been to. Everton Leeds Huddersfield Walsall and Bradford. As we have been able to park within 100 yards everywhere we have been we haven’t had to use her wheel chair which might make it more difficult at some older grounds but I have been very happy about how clubs have been able and prepared to accommodate us.
NADS have done a lot of good work over the last 10 years canvassing for better facilities at football grounds for disabled fans.
Despite some improvement, there's a lot more to do, particularly with regard to provision of wheelchair spaces for away fans amongst their own fans. Many grounds offer only single figures of spaces, which is nowhere near enough.
I urge more people to join NADS to give more strength to the argument.
Personally, I think there needs to a general increase in everyone's appreciation of disability before things will improve significantly. 1 in 6 of the population are disabled and anyone can encounter disability at any time through accident or illness.
With some of the older grounds in the prem that regularly sell out and that are set to build new grounds anyway (Goodison Park, Fraton Park, etc) its not surprising that the clubs have failed to adjust to the 2003 proposals. Though its not excusable.
However, do we have any guarantee these clubs won't do like arsenal and design their new ground under spec as well? How on eath can that be defended?
I'm a disabled Celtic fan and Rangers have NEVER allowed our disabled fans into Ibrox.
We are the only club they discriminate against and, disgracefully, they are allowed to do so.
The most worrying thing is that modern stadium such as the Emirates and Riverside stadium don't meet the required standard.
These grounds should not have been given safety certificates.
I can understand some older grounds such as Goodison Park and Villa Park failing due to standards when they were built, but for a modern stadium to fail is disgraceful.
My partner is semi-ambulant due to having multiple sclerosis; for him this means he is not in a wheelchair but can't walk very far or stand for too long. He has been a Watford FC season ticket holder for a number of years, he used to walk to the games but as his condition worsens our options have gradually reduced. Now I drive him and our son up to the turnstiles 1.5 hours before the kick-off and they leave 10 minutes before the end so I can pick them up.
We joined Watford FC's recently formed group for disabled supporters, but what it has highlighted is that within the disabled group there are many different issues people have with the whole experience. Our main issue is getting my partner to the game, he is still able to get to his seat, with assistance. Wheelchair users have different issues, as with visually-impaired and hearing-impaired. I would like to see clubs bite the bullet and set aside a large area of seating and facilities just for disabled fans, no matter how many are actually registered as disabled supporters. The whole point of these groups and initiatives is to ensure anyone who wants to go to a football game gets there and has a good experience.
What about those non disabled fans who already have a short supply of tickets for the amount of them. They cannot get their hands on the disabled spaces at all and reduces the capcity of the stadium. Considering most clubs offer free tickets or ticket with free carear ticket I think their doing pretty well
To all those complaining about Manchester United, Old Trafford is a UEFA 5 star rated Stadium with which one of the requirements is to have....
"Suitable covered seats for disabled spectators and their accompanying persons (minimum of two sectors with at least 50 places each). The areas for disabled spectators must be adequately equipped with toilet facilities and a refreshment bar. "
Old Trafford is the only 5 star rated stadium in England (This includes brand new Wembley), so I think their facilities are more than adequate, Unfortunately yes some disabled are unable to get tickets every week, but that is because United is such a big club, the demand is always going to be high, which is why they have the rotation scheme to make it fair, all you have to do is join up, non-disabled fans suffer the same fate, unless you join One United you are unlikely to get tickets for the games you want (some games, particularl;y high profile ones are on sale to One United members only)
Bottom line is that Man United's facilities to cater for the disabled are top class
In response to Debbie,
Regarding the Everton Away disabled supporters toilets, yes they are not very good. However as a disabled supporter you have access to other toilets within the Park End, there is also a disabled friendly snack bar in the Park End, if/when you go to Goodison again, speak with the guy on the door where you go in, he'll direct you to the snack bar and there are 2 far better toilet facilities there you can use.
In response to DannyMackay,
Your view of Everton football clubs disabled section is quite dated if you compare them to Portsmouth's absolutely woeful disabled section (they have stairs to reach the disabled section for away supporters).
In one breath you want to be treated as equals. In another breath you want the best seats, cheap tickets, close parking, free programmes...
Some of you in wheelchairs seem to get around better than I can. Some of you can certainly go faster than I can.
I cannot even get tickets to see my favourite team.
Sometimes I think you are the lucky ones.
At 12:15 AM on 25 Jan 2008, Paul Robinson wrote:
Agree with Nicholas Riden, Plymouth the only ground in the UK where the stewards won't let the carers in the away end sit with their disabled supporter!
Barking!!
A service provider has a statutory duty to provide a chair for the carer, adjacent to a wheelchair, on request. Refusal is unlawful. Contact the Equality Commission helpline. They will ask both sides if they are willing to negotiate via a mediator.
By concentrating on wheelchair users the media do a dis-service to people with disabilities that are not apparent to observers. 0.5% of persons with disabilities use wheelchairs. The others include people who have impaired vision or hearing, mental problems, and - perhaps the most common - severe pain or breathing difficulties.
A person with swollen joints or weak heart might be told "This way please, Sir. That route is reserved for disabled." That person might not be able to walk up steps, could need to use a ramp or handrail.
A lot of firms and football grounds do try, with wide doors and such like in toilets. If your fingers are swollen you can't us ordinary taps or ordinary locks. They should have lever taps, and on the doors they should have lever locks that need little pressure and can be opened from outside in an emergency. Again, people who can walk are sometimes told "Sorry Madam that toilet is reserved for disabled." Well, if I want to use the disabled toilet because I can't use ordinary taps or fiddly little door bolts, that is why the Building Regs say those things must be fitted.
Please Victoria have a phone in about invisible disabilities. I've been called a confidence trickster because I'm seen walking. Other people don't see me when I stay at home because prescribed treatments have side effects that make me dizzy and sometimes lead to me stumbling. Thats when people say I'm drunk, but I can't drink because of the treatment drugs.
I returned from a long trip abroad in October and wanted to take a disabled friend of mine to the NUFC v Everton match. He's "walking disabled" requiring a walking stick to be mobile as the result of a back injury but when I enquired to the club, I was told that "all the reduced price tickets for disabled fans are gone".
Their excuse was that some people try to fleece them by pretending to be disabled as such, to get reduced price seats you have to first register with the club (more paperwork) and then you still have to apply for your ticket early in a kind of lottery.
Effectively, if you are in any way disabled you do not have the freedom to choose when you purchase your match tickets in the way that an OAP or an under-16 does. If you don't buy them soon enough, the small entitlement is gone. Many disabled people are on some kind of benefit - my friend as an example does not know until all the bills are sorted and cheques come in if he can afford to attend a game until close to the date. He simply can't plan a couple of weeks in advance and likewise can't stretch to the full-priced tickets he'd not have to buy if the system wasn't skewed in favour of those with more money.
Newcastle's official response was that they are one of a very small number of clubs which even offer a reduction for disabled fans. For this I applaud them, but it looks to me like a half-baked token effort, or at least one that needs improved.
I'm a southampton fan,i'm a manual wheelchair user. I go to quite alot of away games.
I feel intemadated if i have to sit with the home fans for witch i have done at Crystal Palace and Colchester Utd. Ive had objects thrown at me and the stewards do not do anything
Clubs with reasonably new stadiums have no excuse for not meeting these standards. I can see how clubs with ageing stadiums, take Portsmouth especially, do not have the facilities and this is understandable. Hopefully all clubs building new stadia will take this issue in to account though.
In response to post No. 36. From what I understood, the results were not necessarily about facilities, but availability of spaces for disabled supporters, so it is not a question of them disgracefully failing to meet safety requirements?
And, with talk about "supply and demand", at stadiums such as the Emirates, there isn't nearly enough supply to meet the demand of the non-disabled supporters.
I am a disabled fan and although as the report states they do provide some free spaces, these are spaces where they tell you what games you can see and send you the tickets.
I am a match member and pay £48 for a ticket for every match i attend, there are also disabled season tickets holders who pay for there space.
My personal experience of Chelsea is a good one, well looked after, decent pitchside view.
Having visited the new wembley i must admit i prefer seating within the stands as the view is much better.
I work at a special school in London. We have a season ticket for Charlton which is donated to the school every year. The season ticket is for a carer and a child under 11. A draw is made before every game so that any child who wants to go has a chance during the season. This means that every game is attended by a different carer (parent usually) and child. One week an autistic child - 6 years old - was taken to the match and being autistic obsessively wanted to wear his 'football shirt.' It was an old Arsenal shirt & bore no relevance to the game being played. Despite being in a family section the child and his mother were ejected from the ground & the tickets were confiscated on the grounds that they "might be stolen."
Pathetic!!
I believe the facilities at leicester cities stadium are absolutely amazing. They help disabled people watch football with ease and class. Also the football is top quality. Last week i travelled to blackpool, their ground is possibly the worst ever. It has no coverage and i got so wet it was un-believable. My wheel chair was skidding everywhere and it came back rusty.
My father was disabled and a regular season ticket holder at Southampton FC until his death in Sept 2006. I found the support and consideration for disabled access at the gound to be very good - free wide space car parking at the ground (flat access - no ramps with in 100ft of the stadium), external toilet access for fans including diabled (walking or in wheelchairs), stewards helpful to get you in or subtle enough to leave you alone if stubborn and independant minded. Free access for helpers. In my fathers case he was loathed to leave his regular seating area/stand when his health deteriorated and the club despite giving us disabled parking privilages etc..didn't force us to move to segregated areas (on sticks he didn't cause a hazard in case of evacuation). Just beware his stick if the Asst Ref or Ref couldn't see the offside or obvious penalty he could see!
The club were great on away trips, as were the clubs we visited with free parking access at the grounds and early access in many cases. So much better at almost every ground we visited in the 90's and 2000's compared to what we'd seen for others before. Decent pitch side location if you wanted, up higher in the stands in special areas. Well done to SFC and all the Premiership, Championship and League clubs we attended together for their improved facilities and attitude (staff and businesses) towards their own and visiting disabled supporters.
If you want to go to a football ground where the view for disabled guys is shocking. Then try Ashton Gate. My brother has Muscular dystrophy and loves Bristol City. But where they put disabled people is right in the corner which when sat down you are lower than the pitch because of the camber so at best is all you can see is the top of the players heads
I'm a Bristol Rovers fan & have a season ticket, which I have to pay for at a reduced price & then my carer gets 1 free. We sit in excellent seats (where VIPS sit) & the staff are always friendly/helpful. After a long wait, we recently got a disabled parking space in the car park. I really can't fault the services.
I'd just like to say to those who think we might be the lucky ones because they can't get tickets (maybe not so much in league 1!), but that's a very ignorant comment to say. You try life being physically disabled, it aint easy, especially when we have to deal with individuals who are discriminative or ignorant to our needs. Frankly I truely believe we deserve perks in life such as free football tickets, jumping the queues in clubs / theme parks, bringing "carers" for free, etc (actually we don't get THAT much!), because life isn't easy for us in today's world. Don't get me wrong, everyone has problems, but I certainately wouldn't go around saying they're lucky because they get this & that. So please don't judge or moan, it infuriates me!
I'm a Bristol Rovers fan & have a season ticket, which I have to pay for at a reduced price & then my carer gets 1 free. We sit in excellent seats (where VIPS sit) & the staff are always friendly/helpful. After a long wait, we recently got a disabled parking space in the car park. I really can't fault the services.
I'd just like to say to those who think we might be the lucky ones because they can't get tickets (maybe not so much in league 1!), but that's a very ignorant comment to say. You try life being physically disabled, it aint easy, especially when we have to deal with individuals who are discriminative or ignorant to our needs. Frankly I truely believe we deserve perks in life such as free football tickets, jumping the queues in clubs / theme parks, bringing "carers" for free, etc (actually we don't get THAT much!), because life isn't easy for us in today's world. Don't get me wrong, everyone has problems, but I certainately wouldn't go around saying they're lucky because they get this & that. So please don't judge or moan, it infuriates me!
I am a disabled Manchester City fan, I can walk only a short distance and so am issued a standard match ticket, but access is made simple. The new stadium has good ground level access for wheelchairs and walking ambulants. The stewards are always on hand to offer assistance and walking ambulants get seats in the first three rows of the ground level, so few steps involved.
It is however a shame that the fans are not as thoughtful! They spend so much time on there feet that I miss big chunks of the match and have never seen a goal.
As a registered disabled person I have 2 artificial legs but with no knee joints so I need to have seats with decent leg room but not necessarily have to sit in disabled section of grounds.
I would like to go to more games with many of my friends but I face restrictions to the number of allocated disabled spaces and also enjoy the atmosphere of being "in the stands" with my able bodied friends - However, grounds dont provide decent legroom for people - the worse ground I have been to for "semi-mobile" disabled people is by far Old Trafford.
I'm not disabled, however i recently went to Fratton Park to watch my team Plymouth Argyle play Portsmouth in the FA cup and i was disgusted with the facillities offered for visiting supporters. It was extremely difficult to navigate the away end as an able bodied person and as far as i could see there was no provision to accomadate disabled supporters which i think is an absolute disgrace especially for team doing do well in the premiership. Come on guys, sort it out, and not just pompey eaither i can imagine
I'm a Bristol Rovers fan & have a season ticket, which I have to pay for at a reduced price & then my carer gets 1 free. We sit in excellent seats (where VIPS sit) & the staff are always friendly/helpful. After a long wait, we recently got a disabled parking space in the car park. I really can't fault the services.
I'd just like to say to those who think we might be the lucky ones because they can't get tickets (maybe not so much in league 1!), but that's a very ignorant comment to say. You try life being physically disabled, it aint easy, especially when we have to deal with individuals who are discriminative or ignorant to our needs. Frankly I truely believe we deserve perks in life such as free football tickets, jumping the queues in clubs / theme parks, bringing "carers" for free, etc (actually we don't get THAT much!), because life isn't easy for us in today's world. Don't get me wrong, everyone has problems, but I certainately wouldn't go around saying they're lucky because they get this & that. So please don't judge or moan, it infuriates me!
as a wheelchair user i visited sheffield uniteds ground -bramall lane before christmas for the match against preston.
i must say the facilities were excellent.
i got a great vantage point near mid-field.
the people there could not have been more
helpful.as i traveled over from ireland i really appreciated this.
I am a disabled season ticket holder at Plymouth and find the facilities great. Although the parking isnt amazing, this is somthing I know they are looking into when they redevelop. The large car park is council owned so they cant change that and the VIP / disabled car park is booked up with a large waiting list! Ah well, cant wait for the new stands / car park :)
The toilets are fine, and the stewards are accomodating.
I had to join their disabled club (free) to get my tickets, but this is just so I can show my membership card to prove Im entitled to a carer instead of having to bring my documents up each time. This I find makes perfect sense and means that I get a free carer to away games aswell with no hassle!
I had the choice of sitting in the disabled stand at a reduced rate or in the front row of the normal stand. When in the normal stand I get 2 seats for my wheelchair and my carer gets the seat directly next to that. If I was in the disabled stand there is a special wheelchair area, and the carers sit just in front of this. Due to this Im in the normal stand, plus I prefer the view!
When speaking to various staff I have found that the away fans have it just the same as us. They are offered the front row of the away stands. They also get a free carer in the spot next to them, so I dont agree with what the others are talking about! If you ask for the correct thing from your club then youll get it, Ive seen the pairs of tickets (wheelchair / disabled user + carer next to them) in the box office so I know this is how it works.
All I hope for now is a special wheelchair raised area in the new stand. So bring on Phase II!
In addition to response Walkies post No 42
"By concentrating on wheelchair users the media do a dis-service to people with disabilities that are not apparent to observers. 0.5% of persons with disabilities use wheelchairs. The others include people who have impaired vision or hearing, mental problems, and - perhaps the most common - severe pain or breathing difficulties......."
People assume that disabilities means wheelchairs. Some hard hitting facts are....
1) 18% of the UK's population have a registered disability
2) Over 500,000 people in the UK live with Autism
3) The spending power of people with disabilities in the Uk is over 70 billion!!
4) Less than 1% of people with disabilities use a wheelchair.
5) 1 in 4 people have a hearing impairment.
It is unfortunate that business/companies/service providers are doing in many cases the bare minimum to be inclusive. People with disabilities just want to be treated fairley and equally. They want to be able to access anything society has to offer just like people with no disabilities. If you think about it its not the people with disabilities that have a problem its the way society is structured that has the problem. Physical barriers, access to buildings, public ignorance, people perceptions etc etc the list goes on.
In todays society it is unacceptable that people with disabilities should be given a rough deal or pushed to the sidelines or not be given reasonable adjustment so that they can attenda sporting event no matter what the sport.
Whilst I applaude many clubs who are quite clearly leaders in the sport of football, other clubs who are in many cases not even delivering the bare minimum in adquate provision should be named and shamed.
In response to post 40 below "In one breath you want to be treated as equals. In another breath you want the best seats, cheap tickets, close parking, free programmes...
Some of you in wheelchairs seem to get around better than I can. Some of you can certainly go faster than I can.
I cannot even get tickets to see my favourite team.
Sometimes I think you are the lucky ones."
Mr Anon quite clearly does not get it. Do you seriously think people with disabilities would not want to get rid of their disability given the chance???"
Replies like this really sadden me and show what a long way we still have to go.
In one breath you want to be treated as equals. In another breath you want the best seats, cheap tickets, close parking, free programmes...
Dr Mr Anon.
Don't you think that some of those adjustments allow us to be equals?
We might call being able to attend a match "being an equal" but we might need close parking to do it. Without that close parking we may not be able to attend. Thus, we would not be equal.
You are able to attend a match alone. Someone who requires constant assistance will not be able to. Thus a concessionary ticket for a PA is equality.
There's this thing called the Social Model of Disability. You might wanna try reading about it sometime.
I think the top flight clubs like Chelsea should offer more spaces for wheelchairs and maybe lower the costs of prices as well. I'm a Chelsea fan and a wheelchair user My family used to watch chelsea play at southampton beacause it was cheaper and the acess was better.