To mark the Level Playing Field’s Weeks of Action 2018, we have been celebrating our inclusive football programmes and accessibility across the club.
Through our Arsenal for Everyone initiative, we run a variety of disability football programmes, we work with local charities and we ensure that our facilities across the club allow supporters with all abilities to access football.
Last week our participants from our adult learning disability football programme enjoyed a special experience at Arsenal Women’s Continental Cup final, where they met some of the players after watching them win the trophy.
We are also continuously working to improve our disabled facilities at Emirates Stadium.
This year we have increased our wheelchair spaces to 258 and we have introduced a sensory room, offering supporters with profound sensory needs the opportunity to watch Arsenal in a comfortable and stimulating environment.
Youngsters from our Down's Syndrome football programme enjoyed watching Arsenal 3-0 win over Watford from our sensory room.
This facility adds to our long history of providing the right facilities and services for our disabled supporters, dating back to the early 1960’s when we first introduced a commentary service for blind and visually impaired supporters, a service which continues to this day.
We also provide an audio version of every home match day programme for blind and visually impaired supporters and we were the first Premier League team to install a guide dog toilet facility. Other facilities and services which have been introduced include a disabled supporters matchday lounge, where disabled supporters can meet and enjoy a hot drink before games.
We also provide changing places toilet facilities which includes a hoist and changing table enabling severely disabled supporters to come to games knowing that there is a toilet that they can use in safety and comfort.
We are proud to obtain the Level Playing Field Centre of Excellence award and to have become the first professional football club to achieve Disability Confident Leader status earlier this year. Aside from this, Arsenal in the Community also won the award for ‘Commitment to the Local Community’ at the prestigious Better Society Awards last year.
For information on any of our disability sports programmes or for any queries relating to the sensory room, email Arsenal disability officer Luke Howard: lhoward@arsenal.co.uk or disability access officer Alun Francis afrancis@arsenal.co.uk
For disabled supporters' tickets please email our Disability Liaison team: disability@arsenal.co.uk
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