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Men’s Football

Cambridge United

League 1
Abbey Stadium
Capacity: 8,127
Abbey Stadium
Newmarket Road
Cambridge
CB5 8LN

Disabled supporters contact

Club or stadium contact
 for disabled fans

Matt Casey
Disability Supporter Liaison Officer (DSLO)

NA

General ticket office contact

Gareth Daniels
Ticket Office Manager

07845 300615

Accessible ticket contact

Gareth Daniels
Ticket Office Manager

07845 300615

Accessibility information

Stadium map

Stadium map

Number of wheelchair user spaces

Home

Actual:
19
Target:
-

Away

Actual:
16
Target:
-
The club has designated areas for wheelchair users, who are advised to purchase tickets at least 48 hours in advance if they do not hold a season ticket, as the club has limited spaces available.

North Terrace (Home Fans) has 13 spaces available one of which is reserved for a blind and partially sighted supporter and their assistance dog. Main Stand (Home) has 6 spaces. South Stand (Away Fans) has 16 spaces one of which is reserved for a blind and partially sighted supporter and assistance dog. All personal assistants sit alongside. Disabled passes should be pre-booked, one personal assistant per supporter.

A breakdown of wheelchair spaces available can be found below:

Wheelchair Users (Designated Areas)

• North Terrace (Home Fans) has 13 spaces available one of which is reserved for a blind and partially sighted supporter and their assistance dog. Main Stand (Home) has 6 spaces.

• South Stand (Away Fans) has 16 spaces one of which is reserved for a blind and partially sighted supporter and assistance dog. All personal assistants sit alongside. Disabled passes should be pre-booked, one personal assistant per supporter.

For health and safety reasons, users of both manual and powered wheelchairs are required to be accompanied by a personal assistant.

Personal assistants are seated within the designated areas.

Supporters with other disabilities are able to take up a place anywhere in the stadium.

An audio description commentary service is provided by the club.

The club has a limited number of facilities for supporters who are wheelchair dependent and their personal assistants in all areas of the ground, with the exception of the Habbin Stand.

Wherever possible the club will make suitable alternative arrangements for those wheelchair dependent supporters wishing to attend matches with their families.

Wheelchair dependent supporters will be offered the opportunity of being seated in appropriate areas of the stadium by purchasing tickets in advance and reserving a seat.

Tickets for supporters in this position should be purchased at least 24 hours in advance.

Supporters wishing to apply for season ticket places in the designated areas should contact the ticket office on 01223 566500 Opt. 1.

Number of easy access and amenity seats

Actual:
-
Amenity and easy access seating is offered on a match to match basis depending upon availability.

The club recognises that there are considerable numbers of people in the community who use wheelchairs mainly for outdoor mobility purposes but are not necessarily confined to their wheelchair.

Ambulant disabled supporters will be offered the opportunity of being seated in appropriate areas of the stadium by purchasing tickets in advance and reserving a seat.

It will also be necessary for the ambulant disabled person to provide qualifying documentation relating to their condition in order to qualify for a reasonable adjustment.

The club also recognises that disabled people have families and indeed may wish to attend a match as a family and therefore the club will provide designated ambulant seats for families on request within the Family Stand.

Number of accessible toilets

Home

Actual:
2
Target:
-

Away

Actual:
2
Target:
-
North/South and Main Stand accessible toilet facilities are classed as reasonable size with good selection of left/right transfers.

Steward assistance available if required.

Audio commentary

Blind and partially sighted supporters can take advantage of small individual hand-held receivers free to all supporters to listen to audio descriptive commentary of the game.

The hand-held receivers are limited in number so CU strongly recommended that potential users reserve them in advance to avoid disappointment. For more details on the service or to reserve a receiver contact Nick Parker on 07929 589925 or nick.parker56@googlemail.com.

The handheld receivers enable users to listen to a specially-tailored commentary of the game wherever they happen to be within the Abbey Stadium.

These are free to use, however need to be ordered in advance of match day by contacting Nick Parker on 07929 589925 or nick.parker56@googlemail.com.

Large print documents are not issued generally.

However, they can be produced, if requested 48hrs in advance.

The club is able to accommodate supporters with visual impairment in all parts of the ground but the club recommends that each visually impaired person attending a match at Abbey Stadium should be accompanied by a person aged 16 or over who is fully able to support their needs in the event of an emergency.

The best choice of seating for the visually impaired is in Block E of the Main Stand.

On match days information will be carried via the public address system.

Sensory room

The club does not have a sensory room. However, hospitality lounges/rooms are utilised if the need arises.

Sensory Packs

The club do provide 'sensory packs' that include noise-reducing ear defenders you can book this equipment or contact the club via email at info@cambridgeunited.com.

Pitcher Path

The club also provide 'Pitcher Path'. You can find out more by this link https://mypicturepath.com/cambridge-united-visual-guide/

Accessible services + information

Assistance dogs

Visually impaired supporters wishing to attend a match aided by their guide dog should contact the club in advance for all relevant information.

We can then ensure that all measures are taken to ensure both the safety of you and the dog getting to the allocated area. Cambridge United has areas in both the North and South stands.

Measures will also be taken to ensure that the welfare of the guide dog is preserved.

Hearing loops

Unfortunately the club does not, currently, have induction loop equipment so it is strongly recommended that each hearing impaired person attending a match at Abbey Stadium is accompanied by a person aged 16 or over who is fully able to support their needs in the event of an emergency.

Club shop

Ramped entry/exit for wheelchair users.

Easily accessible displays with assistance on hand.

Low level counter service available.

Club hospitality

Wheelchair users have admittance to the VIP and hospitality suites however access to these allocated seats would be prohibitive.

Disabled seating would then be provided dependant on need and availability.

Braille and large print provision

Club do not currently provide any disabled supporters information i.e. booklet with a map of accessible facilities in accessible formats (large print, easy read).

Accessible lounge

There is not currently a specific Accessible lounge on site.

Food concession stands

Matchday catering for disabled supporters is provided within the stadium.

However, certain areas of the stadium do not have catering facilities suitable for those with mobility difficulties and it is therefore advised that for these particular areas, disabled supporters either bring along a personal assistant or notify the nearest steward who will be happy to provide assistance.

Other facilities, which come under the general heading of catering, such as bars and executive lounges, are accessible to people with disabilities.

Total number of parking spaces

The club has a small number parking spaces allocated to its disabled supporters.

All of these are allocated to those with the most severe mobility difficulties.

Following this criterion, those making use of a wheelchair are given priority.

Applications can be made for any spare spaces via the Cambridge United ticket office before the match.

Each request will be judged on merit.

Applications should be made to the club on a seasonal basis but can be booked for individual match days at least 48 hours in advance.

The club asks that supporters recognise that there is only a limited number of places available and it will not be possible to accommodate everyone who has a blue badge.

Supporters will be expected to produce their disabled parking badge on request.

For information about disabled parking availability for forthcoming matches, please call 01223 566500 Opt. 1 or to the Disability Liaison Officer.

Travel options

In conjunction with our local bus company Stagecoach, Cambridge United provide a matchday Park n Ride shuttle bus service from the Newmarket Road Park n Ride site.

Pay on bus or at station

This page was reviewed and updated by Level Playing Field staff and the club on 6 September 2022.

How we set targets

We use accepted industry standards to set the club targets. The reference documents include: Accessible Stadia Guide 2003 and Accessible Stadia Supplementary Guidance 2015; Building Regulations Approved Document M, Access to and Use of Buildings; BS 8300, Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people; Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide); Access for All, UEFA and CAFE Good Practice Guide to Creating an Accessible Stadium and Matchday Experience

Have you got a question, complement or complaint?

Let us know about your matchday experience at Cambridge United to help improve access and inclusion.

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Read comments from other fans

About this page

This information is provided by Cambridge United. Level Playing Field (LPF) cannot be held responsible if the service and provision differs from what is stated here.

If you have any queries please contact us.

Updated June 2023

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Fan comments

Comments reflect the views of the fans themselves and do not necessarily reflect the views of LPF.

  • J &J, who attended 30/07/22
    1 year ago

    This is restricted to updates to our last review written earlier this year when we visited the Abbey Stadium as away fans.

    Arrival and Entry to the Stadium
    I have been told that it is possible for away fans who are Blue Badge holders to contact Cambridge prior to the game to reserve parking at the ground. Upon arrival we were given the option of reaching the away end by walking through the ground, whilst we were happy to use the path we had previously used around the outside, this is clearly an option.

    Audio for All and other developments
    This is the new name for the relaunched excellent audio match commentaries that are offered at Cambridge United. The rename centres around an awareness that audio commentaries can be beneficial for those with disabilities other than sight impairments such as memory challenges. This commitment to meeting the needs of all disabled fans is reflected in the Club adopting Picturepath, an accessibility app and also having videos on their Club website of the “path to your seat” for all 4 of their stands including the away stand. Talking to Nick on Saturday, who was excellent as on our last visit, it was really impressive to hear about their commitment to bringing accessibility for all fans at the Abbey Stadium.

    Accessible Toilets
    After only having cold water at our last visit and being told by Cambridge staff that hot water was not necessary for virus control, I was surprised to find exceedingly hot water coming from the tap, beware!

    Catering
    Chips were now £3 but still excellent and thoroughly enjoyed.

    Stewards
    Credit to Cambridge. The Supervisor told us before the match if any steward blocked our view “tell them to shift” – none did. For the second trip in a row, stewards picked us out of the queue waiting to enter and ushered us straight in.

    Overall
    Cambridge is one of our favourite away trips.

  • J&J Newall, who attended 19/03/22
    1 year ago

    This was our second visit to the Abbey Stadium in recent years as away fans. I am a powerchair user and my husband is severely visually impaired. On both occasions we have travelled to the ground in an accessible mini bus part of our Club’s official away travel. I have just realised that I failed to write a review of my first visit but from memory little has changed between our visits.

    Arrival and Entry to the Stadium
    The stadium is on a narrow congested residential road. There is no parking and the away coaches dropping off and picking up add to the chaos. To get to the away end you have to walk along a busy, hard surfaced footpath equal to the long side of the stadium. To get on to this path you need to pass through a narrow gate just beyond what appears to be the official entrance to the stadium. If you get to the cattle grid you have gone too far. Don’t panic at what appears to be the steps to the away end, just after these is a ramp which takes you into a large open area. We were called out of the queue once the gates were opened to enter without queuing further.

    Seating Provisions
    The away end is behind the goal. The only seating (as far as I am aware) at ground level in the away end is the wheelchair spaces and carer seats which are all across the stand interspersed by the stairs up to the main seating areas. Carer seats and wheelchair spaces are both in twos and singularly, side by side. My husband is 5ft7 and struggled to keep his feet comfortably on the floor sitting on the flip up carer seats. He stood for most of the match, without blocking anyone’s view and was not challenged about doing so. It was a sunny day, but no sun at the away end, just a cold wind. You are just under cover but I fear rain could easily blow in on you. View of the pitch from the wheelchair spaces is uninterrupted and even though all the away fans walk past you (even with a capacity crowd) this was not a problem, not least because they are seated so high up, they can’t surge forward round you as happens at some grounds. The only downside is that whilst you can hear them, you can’t see any of your fellow fans high above you. The walk way past the wheelchair spaces is a reasonable width for you to have your own space and there is a fair distance of grass in front of you before the actual pitch starts. The practice goal was in front of the first block of wheelchair spaces so you might want to consider this when deciding where to sit. We were left to sit where we chose and not told to sit as per the numbering on our tickets.

    Headset Commentary for VI Fans
    Available and excellent, informative and unbiased. We booked the headset using the email on the Club’s website and they came straight back to us, remembering us from our last visit. The commentators even welcomed us by name at the beginning of the match. They brought the headset to us (with spare batteries) and collected it at the end. Nick was really friendly and only too pleased to provide the service.

    Accessible Toilets
    One at the rear of the away stand, well signposted with a radar key. Clean, fair size, light on a motion sensor, hand soap, paper towels and free sanitary products.

    Catering
    There is a large mobile catering van at the away end, selling drinks and hot food (no pies). We indulged in a portion of chips, £2.50. They were lovely non-greasy chips which we thought were excellent value. No lowered counter as far as I could see.

    Stewards
    Lots around, seemed well managed and working rather than just “standing doing nothing”, our experience was they were polite, helpful and unobtrusive. Credit to the steward who in the final minutes of the game realised that where he had been told to stand was in the line of vision of my husband’s binoculars and indicated to me that he would move, which I thanked him for doing. It is so often the little things that are important.

    End of the Game/Leaving
    The area was busy with pedestrians and traffic but not overcrowded. We had no problems. Traffic was slow moving in the immediate vicinity but we have had much worse.

    Overall
    We would definitely go again!

  • Ross Hovey, who attended Cambridge United Vs Liverpool "11" Pre Season
    13 years ago

    Lots of local good street free parking with dropped kerbs etc… I think there is also disabled entry at ground.

    Covered area at one end of stadium to right of goal with no sightline problems. Close to kiosk for refreshments. Didn’t use toilets. Overall very good for non-league football stadia.

  • Gary Deards, who attended 2007/08 season
    16 years ago

    view from wheelchair platform

  • Gary Deards, who attended 2007/08 season
    16 years ago

    Wheelchair area