Barriers to INCLUSION

Inaccessible venues and a worrying increase in disability abuse are among the major barriers for disabled fans to attending live sport

Asurvey of sports fans has shown that there remain a number of persistent barriers to live sport for disabled people. The annual Level Playing Field Annual Fan Survey reveals the top 10 overall barriers to disabled fans, with ‘cost of attending’ seeing the largest overall rise, while physical access at stadiums and ‘attitudes of others’ remain in the top two spots respectively. This year’s survey, the fourth edition of the report, saw a record number of disabled supporters take part. Commissioned by Level Playing Field – a charity which campaigns and advises to improve the experiences of disabled fans attending live sporting events – the report is based on 2,055 responses from fans who between them support 156 different clubs.

Access denied

According to the report, the biggest barrier to attending sports events remains physical access at stadiums, with a third (33%) of respondents identifying it as their main concern. Worryingly, there has been a 3.5% increase in the number of people listing it as the main barrier – when compared to the previous year’s report – suggesting that progress in providing accessible venues is disappointingly slow.

Meanwhile, 71% of respondents confirmed that accessibility considerations had an impact on when they arrived at or left live sports events. Of these supporters, two-thirds cited ‘crowding concerns’ as one of the reasons for that impact, with over half also citing ‘queuing for long periods of time’ as a reason.

Damningly, the report suggests that there are still a number of venues which disabled people are unable to visit at all. When asked if there are any sports or sporting venues that respondent feel unable to attend because they are inaccessible, 22% said yes.

In response, Level Playing Field said: “It remains unacceptable that more than a fifth of disabled fans are unable to attend some sports venues and stadiums because of inaccessibility. While this figure represents the percentage of supporters – rather than the percentage ofstadiums that are inaccessible – it is clearly an issue for any sports venue to be considered entirely inaccessible to disabled fans.”

The report also highlights how there are often significant considerations for disabled fans when planning for their matchday and travelling to the venue. Even before entering the stadium, disabled fans will often have certain access requirements.

When asked which services and facilities they might benefit from when planning for and travelling to matches, the most often cited ones were accessible parking (63.5% of respondents), the option to bring a personal assistant (55%), accessible entrances (50%) and clear accessibility information (43%).

“The percentage of supporters stating that they would benefit from the option to bring a PA has increased year on year over the four years we have conducted the survey,” Level Playing Field says. “Clubs should adopt a flexible approach to this and treat PA requests on a case-by-case basis.

More than a fifth of disabled fans are unable to attend some sports venues because of inaccessibility

“The percentage of respondents stating that they would benefit from the use of an accessibleentrance has also increased year on year, from 37% of disabled fans back in 2021 up to 50% of fans this year. This includes 44% of disabled supporters who do not use a wheelchair. So it is important for club stewards to be aware of this.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly – when considering the wider economic environment – the ‘cost of attending’ is the barrier that saw the biggest increase in 2024. Nearly a quarter (22.5%) now list the price of watching sport as a barrier, compared to just 17% in 2023.

10 biggest barriers for disabled fans to attend sports events

● Physical access at stadiums ● Attitudes of others ● Difficulty purchasing tickets ● Anxiety or lack of confidence ● Cost of attending ● Inaccessible public transport ● Unable to travel to stadium ● “I don’t think stadiums are inclusive for disabled people” ● Lack of information ● No access to a companion or personal assistant

Disability abuse

Sadly, there has been a steady, year-on-year increase in the number of disabled fans who say that ‘disability abuse is a barrier when attending live sport’. When the first Level Playing Field report was published in 2021, just 5.5% of respondents listed abuse as a barrier. By 2023, the figure had increased to 7%. In the latest report, the figure has risen to 8.5%. What’s more, the ‘attitudes of others’ remains the second-highest barrier to attending (26% of disabled fans).

In response to the trend, the report provides clubs and venues with some practical advice to tackle abuse. “Venues and clubs should ensure there is a clear process for fans to report any disability discrimination they experience on a matchday – and that this process is known to fans,” the report states.

“All reports should be taken seriously, investigated, and responded to. Stewards should be given appropriate training to recognise and act on any disability abuse.

“We also recommend that all stewards and customer-facing staff receive some level of disability awareness training. It’s also very important for clubs to have a named (and contactable) Disability Access/Liaison Officer who can answer any accessibility questions they may have.”

Making it pay

According to Level Playing Field, the report makes it clear that certain technologies are not accessible or available to everyone. Specifically, the option to pay contactlessly and use of a smart phone for digital ticketing.

A fifth of respondents (20%) said that they would benefit from having the option to pay using cash inside stadiums. while over a quarter of respondents (26.5%) said that they would benefit from having a physical ticket.

Clubs who have chosen to make use of these technologies, particularly those who have decided to implement a ‘cashless stadium’ policy, should be mindful that they may not be accessible to all. Clubs should therefore continue to provide alternative means of payment and ticketing, which take into account disabled supporters’ access requirements.

The services and facilities that disabled people say they would benefit most from inside stadiums

● Accessible toilets ● Easy access seating ● Accessibility stewards ● Priority use of lifts ● Additional legroom ● A wheelchair user space ● Disability identifiers ● A seat near to toilets/food ● Easy-access toilet cubicles ● The option to use cash ● Low-level counters ● Quiet room/area ● Changing Places toilet facility ● Sensory room ● Sensory pack

Inspiring change

In addition to publishing the full report, Level Playing Field has sent clubs and venues their own specific reports with the full responses from disabled supporters relevant to them. This has resulted in more than 130 individual reports being shared with organisations – who will have data to work with when they look to improve experiences and access for disabled fans.

Level Playing Field Chair, Tony Taylor, said: “Engagement from different clubs and organisations with their individual results has already been very encouraging in some cases. With the annual survey now in its fourth year, they are now able to track developments since 2021, as well as compare their performance to the overall picture across sports.

“This gives these organisations a tool to measure the effectiveness of steps they have taken and identifies areas which must be rectified. Level Playing Field staff are happy to assist in understanding these results more fully and working to find solutions where necessary.

“The importance of listening to supporters as we develop the survey was also shown through more than a fifth of disabled fans identifying physical tickets and the option to pay using cash within the stadium as services they would benefit from.

Disability abuse as a barrier has steadily risen, from 5.5% in 2021 to 8.5% in the latest report

This survey was the first time each of these was measured and will greatly inform the charity and other stakeholders.”