A documentary on the state of disabled access at football stadiums has been produced by student Joe Mursell.
The documentary examines some of the challenges that disabled fans face when attending football matches featuring LPF Vice-President Lord Faulkner.
Watch: Access Denied – Disabled access at football stadiums
In the documentary, Lord Faulkner speaks about the Equality Act 2010 and how many stadia are still falling behind saying, ‘the Equality Act 2010 lays the responsibility on everybody to provide for disabled access, but these powers that relate to sports grounds haven’t been properly implemented.’
Anthony Joy, a lifelong Arsenal fan, spoke of his experiences of going to games as a wheelchair user. Speaking of the poor sightlines he often encounters at stadiums he says, ‘(football grounds) have had seats bolted on to terracing, therefore they’re too shallow – if people in front of you stand up – as football fans will – you look at people’s backs.’
Mark Barber of the Manchester City Disabled Supporters Association also spoke about the conditions that many disabled fans face at some grounds. This included poorly situated pitchside wheelchair user spaces that leave disabled fans ‘open to the elements of the weather, and at certain parts of the game police and stewards are sat in front of you’.
Another issue covered was that many disabled fans are often have to sit amongst the home crowd. Anthony Joy said ‘it’s wrong’ that disabled away fans are made to sit with home fans and that ‘there is no reason with the money that’s in football that adaptions should not be made, that I can’t sit with my own fans’.
From Youtube: Access Denied – Disabled access at football stadiums
12.05.16