The best way to gain an understanding on what to expect from a stadium (both existing and new) is to take a look at the below ‘Access for All Guide’ and then the ‘Accessible Stadia document’. Other resources contain helpful guidance from the various football authorities and other organisations including LPF.
Access for All (2011)
- UEFA and CAFE good practice guide to creating an accessible stadium and matchday experience
- UEFA and CAFE good practice guide to creating an accessible stadium and matchday experience- accessible version
CEN/TR 15913:2009 “Spectator facilities. Layout criteria for viewing area for spectators with special needs”
The report cannot be downloaded but is available from: The European Committee for Standardisation, Management Centre Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels (Ref. No. CEN/TR 15913:2009) or see CEN website
For an introductory note to the report, view the following CAFE information note.
Accessible Stadia 2003
In particular see page 37 to determine how many accessible seats a club should be providing)
SGSA Accessible Stadia Supplementary Guidance (August 2015)
The Premier League Guidance
- D1 – Summary (2009)
- D2 – Who is disabled? (2009)
- D3 – DDA Duties (2009)
- D5 – Match Day Access (2009)
- Guidance re Ambulant Disabled Fans and Personal Assistants (2012)
- Ticketing and Matchday Guidance 2018
The Football League Guidance
- Guidance on Disabled Supporters and Customers (2010)
- The Football League Code of Practice
- Guide to Facilities for Disabled Fans at Football League Championship Grounds season 2015/16
- Guide to Facilities for Disabled Fans at Football League One Grounds season 2015/16
- Guide to Facilities for Disabled Fans at Football LeagueTwo Grounds season 2015/16
The FA Guidance
- The FA DDA Guide – Guidance for Professional Clubs (published in September 2003)
- The FA DDA Guide- Guidance for Non-League Clubs (published in October 2004)
Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds – Fifth Edition
Level Playing Field Guidance
- LPF Ticketing and Seating Management Guidance
- LPF helpsheet for ambulant disabled supporters
- LPF Deaf/ Hard of Hearing Help Sheet
- LPF and Mencap booklet: A level playing field (2010)
- Making Information easy to read and understand
- LPF Making your club more accessible: Top ten tips
- LPF Making your club more accessible to disabled people
Other Organisations
- Deaf Awareness Fact Sheet (Action on Hearing Loss)
- RNIB Soccer Sight- A guide to providing a service for blind and partially sighted football supporters (2008)
- Access to Sports Stadia- Guide Dogs for the Blind (2007)
- Action for Blind People Guide on producing written information
- Accessibility Guide – An Inclusive Approach to the Olympic and Paralympic Games (2013)
- International Paralympic Committee Technical Manual on Accessibility
- EFDS: Access for all: inclusive communications
- Sport England – Accessible Sports Facilities -2010
A club/venue complying with these will be well on the way to providing a fully inclusive and equal experience for all supporters. These documents (amongst others) are now considered to be the minimum requirements for an accessible stadium or for the provision of accessible services but it should also be remembered that minimum standards, by definition, usually only provide for minimum access; truly inclusive planning for the whole community means going beyond the bare minimum and thinking of the future so that designers and management should always try to aim higher when building or renovating venues and premises, to encompass the needs of a widely diverse and ever ageing community. Additionally, as the 2010 Equality Act provides for an evolving and anticipatory duty, what was acceptable in the past may no longer be so and thus a regular review of facilities and services becomes an important requirement too (see below for how an Access Audit can help achieve this).
NB: Please also note that most of these documents refer to the Disability Discrimination Act most of which has now been replaced by The Equality Act 2010.
An Access Audit will help benchmark facilities and services plus help Clubs/Venues meet their legal obligations and mitigate any potential risks. Level Playing Field has developed an Access Audit programme which provides a cost effective, independent audit with added aspects not available elsewhere. It makes real business sense for Clubs / Venues to be proactive rather than reactive in this regard. Click here for more detailed information about the LPF Access Audit Programme.