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Level Playing Field: A year in review 2023

Welcome to this overview of 2023 – a record-breaking year for Level Playing Field, which saw plenty of challenges and important advancements in access and inclusion for disabled fans across England and Wales.

Reflecting on this year shows outstanding levels of participation across Unite For Access and the 2023 Level Playing Field Annual Fan Survey.

There have also been individual advancements at clubs and neglect from positions of power which needed to be challenged.

Take a look through some of the key events for disabled sports fans from this year, below, as we prepare to make positive changes in 2024.

January

Online Forums get started

The first in a series of online forums across the year gave disabled sports fans the chance to come together and share their experiences.

Advocacy Lead for Tourettes Action, Ione Georgakis, was a guest at 2023’s first forum and she later went on to be a guest on an episode of the Level Playing Field podcast. Level Playing Field’s commitment to work in this area was also strengthened by being recognised as a TS Friendly Organisation.

Club activity shows early promise
In the Premier League, Arsenal were busy trialling a British Sign Language (BSL) service which would go on to have a hugely successful launch during the Unite For Access campaign and set the ball rolling in an important year for BSL implementation at sporting events.

Meanwhile, in the Vanarama National League, Wrexham’s top goalscorer, Paul Mullin, brought inclusion to the fore as he walked out wearing ear defenders with his player escort. This was followed up later in the year, with an episode of the series ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ dedicated to the club’s ‘Quiet Zone’.

MUDSA Secretary Honoured
Chas Banks, secretary of Manchester United Disabled Supporters’ Association (MUDSA), was awarded an MBE for services to people with disabilities in Greater Manchester and North West England.

The MBE was announced as part of the first New Year’s Honours awarded by King Charles and recognised his huge contribution to improving the experience of disabled Manchester United supporters over as sustained period with the DSA and his work with Manchester United Foundation in supporting people with disabilities in the local community.

February

Unite For Access – Launch

Level Playing Field’s annual campaign celebrating good access and inclusion for disabled sports fans, took place under its new ‘Unite For Access’ name for the first time.

There was a particularly strong start to the campaign from some clubs across the EFL, with MK Dons announcing their Stoma-friendly toilets and Stevenage giving their joyous fan Archie an opportunity to lead the team out.

Growth in other sports
The Racecourse Association announced a three-year project, in partnership with Level Playing Field, to conduct comprehensive reviews of racecourse accessibility and subsequently work with racecourses to review the findings and address areas requiring attention.

Elsewhere, a disabled supporters’ forum marked the start of Harlequins’ first ever Access Day at the Allianz Premier 15s fixture between Harlequins Women and Loughborough Lightning.

Cardiff claim Centre of Excellence Award
Level Playing Field recognised the accessible facilities and services at Cardiff City FC with the awarding of a “Level Playing Field Centre of Excellence Award”. The Bluebirds became the first club in Wales and only the sixth club overall to receive the award.

March

Unite For Access – Continues

The momentum of the Unite For Access campaign carried through into March, including Premier League champions Manchester City celebrating 25 years of providing audio descriptive commentary (ADC) and Vanarama National League Chesterfield bringing BSL to their big screen.

In the end, a record-breaking number of clubs participated in the campaign during 2023. Involvement from 100% of Sky Bet Championship clubs, helped take the total number of teams beyond 120.

DCMS Committee meeting on Football Governance White Paper

Level Playing Field issued a response following a meeting where the Football Governance White Paper was scrutinised by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) was largely excluded, which set the tone for decisions on and independent football regulator later in the year.

April

Smoke bomb panicked disabled fan

An incident where a smoke bomb was thrown into a wheelchair user section, panicked young Sunderland fan Charlie.

The results of the 2023 Level Playing Field Annual Fan Survey later in the year, revealed almost a third of disabled fans had been impacted by the use of flares, smoke bombs, and other such pyrotechnics (by other fans) when attending live sport.

Blind and partially sighted fans spotlighted
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ #OnePackWeek gave eight-year-old Frazer an unforgettable experience, while Aaron Ramsey met Arsenal fan and guide dog owner Colin and Watford helped Stephen and Charlie share their matchday experiences with the rest of the fanbase.

Ruth reaches 10 years
General manager & head of access and development, Ruth Hopkins, celebrated a decade of improving access and inclusion for disabled sports fans with Level Playing Field.

May

Staff speak in conference season

Level Playing Field staff were pleased to share their thoughts with other stakeholders from across sport throughout spring, including at the EFL’s first Disability Access Officer Conference.

EHRC’s final report on Premier League accessibility – Five years on

May marked the anniversary of the EHRC’s 2018 state of play report and Level Playing Field reflected on its legacy.

The positive legacy, five years on from the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s final report on Premier League clubs’ accessibility, emphasises the urgent need for a permanent mandate.

More big steps for BSL
The Women’s FA Cup Final saw three British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters in operation, as the FA confirmed events at Wembley will now always have a minimum of two BSL interpreters in place. This was followed by BSL performances of the national anthem at all three EFL Play-Off Finals to see out the month, while Arsenal continued their momentum by sharing Mikel Arteta’s end of season message.

June

Repeated Champions League Final failings

Level Playing Field wrote to UEFA to demand accountability for another Champions League Final which failed to accommodate disabled supporters. Some Manchester City supporters shared their experiences publicly and were followed by a fan forced to have six weeks off work, after breaking her leg in Istanbul.

Survey closes with record responses

The 2023 Level Playing Field Annual Fan Survey closed with over 1750 responses in total – an increase of more than 30% on the previous year.

Disabled sports fans of all sports across England and Wales, shared valuable insight on their match day experiences, including a significant increase in the number of responses from rugby league fans which is now informing the actions of the governing body and clubs.

July

Representation and accessibility at the Ashes

A day at the final Test was dedicated to Alzheimer’s Society, while the Liverpool and Knotty Ash Signing Choir performed the national anthem at the Kia Oval, as part of the ECB’s initiative to use British Sign Language (BSL) at elite cricket fixtures for the first time during the summer.

Women’s Survey results published

Results from the first-of-its-kind survey on access and inclusion for disabled fans of women’s football were released and showed a ‘lack of information’ was a barrier for attending matches to a significantly higher proportion of fans (26%), than in the previous year’s annual fan survey across all sports (16%).

Campaign against ticket office closures
Level Playing Field supported Transport For All’s campaign against train station ticket office closure proposal’s and received the backing from disabled supporters’ associations across England and Wales, who signed the charity’s letter to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, as well as Department of Transport, and the Rail Delivery Group.

August

Disability Identifiers Guide Update

Many football clubs have introduced forms of disability identifiers for the 2023/24 season. Level Playing Field therefore updated guidance to clubs, ensuring they and fans are informed of the benefits and considerations.

Lionesses reach the final
England reached the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final and it was important to hear some on the ground insight from a disabled Lionesses fan enjoying the tournament. After more than four decades of dreaming, taking in the Final saw a dream come true for Paul Letters.

Spurs another BSL boost
Spurs joined Arsenal, to ensure North London is the capital of matchday BSL provisions. They also introduced Zak, a steward helping to create a more inclusive environment.

September

Formation of new disabled fans groups

The start of the 2023/24 football season saw an increased appetite from disabled fans across the pyramid to organise into groups which could help improve standards of accessibility and inclusion at their clubs. September was a particularly busy time for Level Playing Field’s fans liaison officer, Liam Bird, attending early meetings of groups which are now growing in strength.

NUDSA celebrate 25th anniversary

Newcastle United Disabled Supporters Association (NUDSA) celebrated a quarter-century of existence with a special celebration for its members and supporters at St. James’ Park.

October

2023 Level Playing Field Annual Fan Survey results
The charity’s third annual survey results displayed year-on-year trends for the first time. There were troubling rises in the percentage of disabled fans for whom ‘inaccessible public transport’ and ‘disability abuse’ are barriers when attending live sport. Specific focus was also placed on the impact of pyrotechnics and the cost of attending.

Victory on ticket offices
The Government asked train operators to withdraw their proposals to close hundreds of rail ticket offices, in a dramatic reversal. This followed campaigns against the plans, which resulted in the biggest response to a public consultation in British history. It also marked an important victory on the accessibility of public transport, after issues had been raised in the month’s survey results release.

November

Regional forums return in the South

The first regional forum since the pandemic welcomed disabled fans, club representatives and other key stakeholders from across sports, to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

New Changing Places to the fore

Level Playing Field visited Bolton Wanderers for the opening of a new Changing Places toilet facility, as Leeds United and Rochdale also added to an increase in numbers across stadia. A special episode of The Level Playing Field Podcast took a deeper look at Changing Places.

December 

RNIB guidance published
Level Playing Field was pleased to partner with RNIB on their See Sport Differently guidance, to improve the spectator experience of blind and partially sighted fans.

Minister for Disabled People role changes
Following the Government’s decisions concerning the role of Minister for Disabled People, Level Playing Field wrote to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. The letter outlined the need for greater emphasis to be placed on the requirements of disabled sports fans.

Dáire’s unforgettable day

Liverpool saw out the year by giving a young fan, Dáire, a day he will never forget. This followed a video of him overjoyed at a first match he was able to attend with the assistance of Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association.

Looking ahead

December also saw production start on the 2024 Unite For Access campaign video and a series of clinics take place with clubs from across England and Wales, focused on how to mark the occasion. The new year will see the celebration approach fast, with the campaign running from February 24 to March 10.

Everyone at Level Playing Field is looking forward to seeing what can be achieved through Unite For Access and beyond, in 2024. With the continued backing of the disabled supporters’ associations (DSAs) and disabled fans that we work alongside and represent, we can make important and meaningful progress.

All staff are grateful for the commitment and dedication of disabled fans and DSAs, as well as the cooperation of so many disability access officers (DAOs), disability liaison officers (DLOs), non-disabled supporter groups and governing bodies. Together, we can make dramatic improvements to access and inclusion in 2024.

This has been an opportunity to reflect on the past year, learn from what has taken place and set standards to exceed over the next 12 months.

If you have anything from this year which you would like to discuss, or would like to find out more information, then please get in touch with Level Playing Field.