Parking Car parking is provided onsite with accessible spaces for 32 home supporters and 10 away supporters who are wheelchair users. 120 spaces are reserved for blue badge holders. Access is on one level into the stadium.
Accessible Services 13 accessible toilets can be found directly behind stands in the concourses, as are catering outlets with low-level counters. 20 spaces for audio commentary via Hospital Radio with a choice of sitting anywhere in the stadium are available. Induction loop facilities are not available.
Accessible Facilities Home supporters have 91 spaces for wheelchair users available to them. 21 spaces for wheelchair users can be found in the away section for away supporters. Home spaces are all mid-tier in the Sentinel, McEwans and North Stands. Away spaces are mid-tier in the Signal Radio Stand. All covered, with PA seats mainly in front. Expect restricted viewing if fans in rows in front stand. Unlimited places for ambulant disabled supporters are located in front of the wheelchair platforms. PA’s sit alongside, all covered.
Brittania Stadium Stoke on Trent ST4 4EG
Date: 26/10/2011 00:00:00 By: RUBBERY STOKE V LIVERPOOL
Firstly this is not my first time at this venue. It is easy to find, but as a wheel chair user the parking is near to the away end entrance £5 not to bad. Stewards pleasant and good natured, toliet facilities good all in all not a bad stadium for visiting. Drawback is still the undersatnding by Stoke to not blocking off the first two rows infront of the wheel chair viewing galleries in order to stop standing fans blocking view, because LFC took 4000 fans we had the entire end we were in rather than only part, this meant we had all the viewing galleries instead of only one, when are clubs going to take disabled supporters seriously instead of paying lip service? With the intention of extending your stadium you will then have to involve all disabled groups in the new design beware then you may have to do something for the good of disabled fans.
Date: 24/09/2011 00:00:00 By: LJ Stoke v Man Utd
I am a wheelchair user & this was my first visit to the Britannia Stadium. Having read about the sight problems caused by fans standing in front of the wheelchair platform, I had prepared myself not to see much of the match. However, I was delighted to find that the 2 rows in front of the platform had been covered over to prevent their use. Consequently, I could see almost the whole pitch. Well done Stoke City!
Date: 03/12/2010 00:00:00 By: Lesley Adams Match Birmingham City
I was very disappointed when we visited Stoke again this season to find that nothing had changed. The only thing different was as stated in the previous posting that two rows had been covered but this did not help the wheelchair supporters view of the goal nearest our supporters because people still stood in the other sections. We also had problems with stewards standing in their line of sight. I don't see that Stoke can justify asking people to pay for a ticket when they do not get to see the game.
Date: 11/11/2010 00:00:00 By: Steve Edwards Stoke v Birmingham City
Went on Tuesday and noticed the 3 rows in front of the Disabled Section for Away Supporters had been covered over. This, I would imagine, would have given wheelchair users a better view but, I wondered, if this was a permanent thing or whether it had been done because Birmingham had not sold their full allocation of tickets
Date: 26/10/2010 00:00:00 By: Caroline Stoke vs. Manchester United
I'm an ambulant disabled away fan and found the seating provided for people like me had been chosen without much thought. The stewards were helpful though and getting in was easy.
The ideal place for us to sit would be at the front of our own fans/ behind wheelchair users and their helpers.
At Stoke, we sat just in front of the upper tier behind many of our fans. Our fans always stand at away matches and if we didn't also, we couldn't see anything.
Ambulant fans need to be able to sit for most if not all the match -while still being able to see what's going on.
A good win for us but I was left very tired from standing and in quite a bit of pain.
Stoke should liaise with United to see how proper disabled access should be done.
Date: 15/09/2010 00:00:00 By: matt crowe Aston Villa and every match
We are stoke supporters and my father is a disabled season ticket holder in the South stand where the home and away fans are sectioned. The home fans have the same viewing problems as the away fans, my dad who is the disabled one fell out with people in front of us standing up, but its the domino effect really where the front stand up and then it works back. Real poor areas in the stands, the club need to raise the areas somewhat or change where the disabled people sit.. Its a real big issue that needs adressing ASAP..
Come on stoke city sort it out
Date: 15/05/2010 00:00:00 By: NADS match n/a
Many thanks for your feedback 'rt' and we note your comment that the situation is the same in all wheelchair user seats in the stadium. We have raised this issue with the club and will keep everyone posted.
Date: 15/05/2010 00:00:00 By: r tavernor Match: every home game
nice to here your comment s my son is a stoke disabled season ticket holder and every wheel chair position at stoke is the same when people stand i do hope you are right and they are raising the wheel cair areas for away fans and home fans but 10 years and waiting .good luck
15/05/10
Date: 01/05/2010 00:00:00 By: NADS match- n/a
Note from NADS - We are pleased to hear about this. NADS has been in ongoing and positive discussions with the club and Premier League about this significant problem and how best to resolve it. We will continue to liaise with the club and monitor all progress in this matter ahead of next season.
Date: 01/05/2010 00:00:00 By: Colin Match: v Hull City
RESULT - Just had a call from Stoke, they are raising the platforms for next season and also looking at sectioning off some seats.
Unless we get them in the cup next season we wont be going there. Would be interested to read comments from disabled fans who do go next season. I hope you all get a much better experience in the future.
01/05/10
Date: 24/04/2010 00:00:00 By: Lesley Adams Match: Birmingham
I agree with everything said before. We suffered the same situation. The stewards did not even attempt to ask the fans in front to sit down to my knowledge. How ever I understand that our Disabled Liaison Officer who officially complained has had a result. I believe from what has been said that people from Stoke are visiting our ground for a meeting. Lets hope it brings a result for all the away fans disabled supporters.
12/04/10
Date: 05/04/2010 00:00:00 By: Colin Match: v Hull City
Managed to get parked very near to the ground at a cost of £5 but that is where the good points end with this ground.
You can not see a thing from the viewing area as everyone stands up. The stewards did ask them to sit down twice but then gave up. It was only when the person in front of me turned round and saw he was in front of people in wheelchairs that he got out of his seat and stood behind me. This did improve my view slightly but It was still the worse view I have ever had.
The disabled toilet is very close but it is far too small and there is also a pilar right near the door making it hard to get in. I was in a normal wheelchair and found it very hard so how someone in an electric scooter would manage I don't know.
Considering this is a fairly new stadium I think it has been very poorly designed
Date: 21/03/2010 00:00:00 By: Pete Swanson Match: Tottenham Hotspur EPL
Absolute nightmare, unable to view any of the game as fans in front standing throughout the match. Although I emailed the DLO at Stoke on the 5th.March with my concerns after reading other reports on here I did not receive any reply. I contacted stewards during the game and although promises of getting supervisors and managers to come and see me nobody came and nothing was done, missed all the goals and saw very little action. What a shame a game was missed and Stoke did nothing to help me, I have written to them and asked for compensation as my ticket had nothing printed on it about restricted viewing. This problem has been on going since at least 2008 and is well documented by other travelling fans on this comments board. I will not be returning to Stoke until they sort this problem out. I left my home at 0:600am travelled 470 miles and got home at 12:15am very tired and frustrated that I had wasted a whole day and a lot of money on a game I had no chance of viewing. 21/03/10
Date: 16/03/2010 00:00:00 By: Anthony Jordan match v's Aston Villa
I've attached a picture of the view "enjoyed" by myself in the away disabled area.
90% of the match left me with this view so you can imagine I am extremely disappointed and annoyed at having to pay for this view. If the disabled viewing area is to allow viewing of the match, changes have to be made. 16/03/10
Date: 25/01/2010 00:00:00 By: Ross Hovey Match: Stoke City Vs Arsenal FA Cup 4th Round 2010
Positives
A disabled car park Ramps and good paths
Negatives Poor sight lines - saw 5 minutes of the match Stewards poor Difficult to manoeuvre from entrance to seat as packed and very tight
Date: 20/01/2010 00:00:00 By: Rubbery Match: Stoke v Liverpool
This is still one of the easiest grounds to get to and away from. The club have got almost everything right. Parking good, Stewarding good, access good. The only thing that lets this stadium getting top marks from a disabled away wheelchair supporters is yet again the lack of sight lines when viewing from the wheelchair sections. Supporters stand up in front of you obscuring sight of the game. When oh when are they going to do something about this, I wonder if it was their own home fans complaining about it, would they solve this problem which is not a hard thing to do. Please Stoke just do it..............
Date: 31/12/2009 00:00:00 By: Steve Edwards Match: Stoke v Birmingham City
I am not disabled but was in row 12, directly in front of wheelchair supporters and I agree entirely with their comments. Despite stewards sympathising with them no attempt was made to get fans to sit down. It is a complete and utter waste of time for wheelchair users to go to the Brittannia Stadium because they will not see a thing. Do as is said, and not sell tickets for the 3 rows in front of the viewing area and raise the level slightly. No problem
Date: 21/04/2009 00:00:00 By: Carole Billouin Match: Stoke City vs Blackburn Rovers
We arrived in good time and found everyone very helpful. In the most part agree with the previous poster's comments, one of the easiest accesses to the disabled areas. However, we struggled to see any of the match as fans insisted on standing up in front of us. It shouldn't be too difficult to raise the disabled areas slightly as they are quite deep, and would make all the difference.
Regarding the disabled toilet, there was a slight problem in that fans seemed to congregate in front of although they moved away willingly enough for us to access it
21/04/2009
Date: 12/01/2009 00:00:00 By: Rubbery Match: Stoke v Liverpool
As previous fans comments, parking excellent and stewards helpful. Sight lines when fans stand in front of you are none existent, I had to move around to get a sight of the game. Only way round this was to remove the first row in front of disabled section. Several wheelchair users left as they could not see, stewards were asked to remove the row of standing supporters and put them in the area behind us wheelchair spectators, to which they replied they were going to get them to sit down, !!!! cuckoo land or what. Nice cold winters day and the constant drip of water from the roof was a problem, if the sorted out the sight lines it would be good.
12/01/2009
Date: 27/09/2008 00:00:00 By: Matthew Law Match: Stoke City v Chelsea, Britannia Stadium
Chelsea had played once before at the Britannia Stadium in the FA Cup a few years ago but this was my first visit. To Stoke City FC. I was picked up from my home in Surrey by Harry my carer at 11 and we got to the stadium via the M3, M25, M40, M42 & M6 three hours later.
The stewards and police guided us to the car park which was restricted to the away club but used exclusively by the disabled and the official club transport (the coaches).
We were charged £5 but as it was directly next to the stadium this was extremely good value for money. However we did have to wait for half an hour after the game before we were allowed to leave it.
There was a burger stall directly outside this away car park and the atmosphere around this area was fantastic; doubtless helped by the beautiful warm sunshine we were blessed with all day.
The disabled access was through a large metal doorway, across a small concourse and up a ramp. This lead to a disabled viewing balcony that was located behind a goal and about 10 rows back. You could say that this was an ideal location with good sightlines to the pitch. However, there were seats directly in front. The seats themselves were low enough to cause no viewing restriction but as with nearly all football stadia, the seats are used to allocate the sale of tickets and not to sit in.
If someone in the front row stands up, then understandably the person behind them will want to see so stands also. Likewise all the way to the back row and the result is that wheelchair users cannot see the game because people stand throughout the entirety of the match.
One of the more discerning of fans noticed the problem and asked me if he could stand behind me. Of course I said please do. But there were six others in front of me and far more in front of the whole area who were not so understanding.
The way of solving the problem?:
1. Stoke City do not sell tickets in the back two rows in front of the disabled viewing area.
2. Stoke City raise the height of the disabled viewing area by about 150 cm.
3. Every wheelchair user intending to watch his/her team play at Stoke City buys a Balder wheelchair that raises the height of your seat (cost: £15,000 each).
There was a very spacious and fully Health & Safety compliant disabled toilet right outside the disabled viewing area. I would say my wheelchair probably only clocked up about 100 meters between leaving and returning to the car. All ground covered was perfectly flat and smooth. Plenty of stewards were on hand to point us in the right direction.
Other than not being able to see the game (sort of the whole point in paying a carer £120 to take you, £50 petrol, £5 car park, £5 burger & drink, £4.50 toll road one way and £24 for the ticket), it was a comfortable visit to the Britannia Stadium. Until Stoke make some much needed alterations I will not be going again.
27/09/08
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