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| NADS Enews - October 2010 | www.nads.org.uk |
Welcome to the NADS monthly Newsletter!To join NADS contact us at: info@nads.org.uk |
In the land of the Crooked Spire ... inclusive design brings results
It will be a source of great comfort to football fans of Chesterfield (who are known as the Spireites for good reasons) that their new stadium is unlikely to suffer the same fate as the spire. All fans enjoy really super facilities, and great care has been taken to ensure that the facilities for disabled supporters are well provided for . There are fantastic views for wheelchair users (and everyone else), with 56 elevated positions at the back of the two main stands and another 16 elevated by about 1m in stands behind goals (including separate home and away sections). Pitchside locations also available for those who prefer it. These facilities are complemented by radio commentary available in any seat via portable headset units and there are plenty of accessible toilets, catering units etc. All in all, for a town that boasts hundreds of legends about the twisted spire, the new stadium for the Sprireites represents a great example of what can be achieved with an inclusive design. And not only that, the Club - at the time of writing - are top of the table in League 2. England 2018 Bid Update
Understanding the Equality Act 2010
London 2012 announces Olympic Games Ticket Prices
OK, so for those of you who get a kick out of numbers, here are the stats:
Confused? No need - London 2012 will have more tickets on sale for disabled people than any previous Olympic Games in history. Using the highly accessible ticketing website, there will be seating options available for blind, partially sighted, deaf and hard of hearing people, as well as those who cannot manage steps and wheelchair users. The cost of a ticket for a wheelchair space will also include the cost for one companion seat adjacent to it. We have a lot more about this on our website, which you can access by clicking here. To visit the London 2012 tickets website please click here. Latest Fans Comments To view the latest comments added to the website please click on the links below:
To leave your own comment on a stadium you have visited go to our website www.nads.org.uk and select the clubs tab and click on the relevant club. Website Launched for Exeter City Disabled Supporters Association
The site has some great news on what has been going on and includes their latest news on a their Wheelchair for Hire and other projects at the club. Interestingly, the ECDSA has made use of a free website provider enabling them to get the site up and running at no cost and without the need for one of those people who bamboozle you with IT tech speak all the time. The ECDSA website can be found by clicking here or by copying and pasting the link below. You can also email (ecfcdsa@gmail.com) the ECDSA with any thoughts or comments about their site, but we have promised them faithfully that there will not be any: A Win for Darlington!
The Trust has long been involved with disability issues and has its own Disabled Supporters Group (DSG) which has been working actively with the football club on a range of disability agenda items. One fan had an issue about seating for carers on the raised platforms, when they were told that seating could not be provided for "Health & Safety Reasons" (how many times have you heard this used as an excuse? Presumably, carers were going to pick up their chairs and hurl them at the stewards). Well, as the Bard (and he is often quoted within the Darlington Arena) said, "All's Well That Ends Well". Following a consultation between Club officials and the Darlington DSG, the Club is looking at providing suitable seating on the platforms for carers. This will be a great result for a stadium that, in many ways. has some excellent facilities for disabled supporters. Inspirational Sportsman raises cash for football club
In June 2009, however, he began to feel unwell and was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. Steve has now joined Disability Recreation Unity Movement (DRUM), based in Watford, which provides respite and support to 70 disabled members and more than 120 unpaid carers. After recently completing a 7.6 mile wheelchair push to raise money for DRUM and Hadley FC, club members enjoyed a round of golf to raise money for both organisations at Mill Hill Golf Course. Wakefield Trinity Boss meets DSA
They were able to discuss progress on the proposed new stadium at Newmarket and had an opportunity to discuss with Stephenson the current quality of life for disabled fans at Belle Vue Stadium. Stephenson said later that it had been "a very positive meeting" and that all fans were very much appreciated by the Club. He said it is important "that we listen to what every member of the Wakefield Trinity family has to say about the club, its accommodation and the future. The DSA also had an opportunity to discuss what they had in common with two of the club’s support groups and that was also a very useful experience not only for them but also for the club’s administration team too. The meeting was, we understand, a follow up on an earlier meeting which had addressed a number of concerns which, for the most part, had been resolved to the satisfaction of everyone involved. It is believed that there are some issues still being experienced by disabled fans at Belle Vue and the club is committed to dealing with these. Next year is the last season that the club will be playing at their present ground, but, says Stephenson, "we still want our fans to be as comfortable and as safe as possible during our remaining months in this famous old stadium.” Kick it Out - Weeks of Action October 2010
But, as with so many things, it is at the grass roots level throughout the year that the Kick It Out campaign has really made its impact in helping to rid us of the scourge of racism and discrimination from football (or soccer, as it is now known in one half of Liverpool). You can find out more about the Kick It Out work by clicking here. Every Player Counts as rivals join together in the South West
Request for help from a NADS Member
Alan has assured us that all information will be used solely for his dissertation and once finished it will all be destroyed. To read Alan's full message please click here. No Pain No Gain? Forget It - "Love is the Answer"
Academics in the USA have (they claim) found proof that the same areas of the brain that react to pain are also targeted by 'amorous thoughts', which may actually help to reduce pain! Before we all get too excited, or indeed amorous and "Love is All Around", the study only looked at the early days of romance - "Love is the Drug" may well wear off, they think, after the initial stages of a romantic fling! So, may be "Love Hurts" after all. For the less passionate ones, apparently eating sweets also has the same effect! And just in case you thought this was an early or late April Fool piece, click here to read the full story. Other News In Brief
And finally - please keep us informed of your experiences - good or bad Here at NADS, we take your views very seriously and can contact clubs and organisers to make sure that where there are problems, these can be resolved and, where things have gone well, we'd like to give the appropriate words of praise as well. Your views, more than any, are so important to us. There are a number of ways that you can get in touch with us and you can be assured that if you want us to treat something in confidence, we will respect that. You can email us at info@nads.org.uk, telephone us on 0845 230 6237, or write to us at the following address: |
Our Sponsors:
Make a charity donation online to support NADS works. Every donation (small and large) is very much appreciated:  Latest Job Vacancies London 2012
The FA Liverpool County FA National Deaf Children's Society |
To many people, Chesterfield is best known for the crooked tower on the Parish church that can be seen for miles around. Was it built that way (as some in Europe apparently had been) or did it develop its curious twist over the centuries? Strange as it may seem, Chesterfield's Spire started life out straight and all sorts of legends surround it.
The Prime Minister welcomed President Blatter to 10 Downing Street last week and stressed the importance of England 2018's global legacy commitments. You can read more about Football United, the proposed new global fund for football and social development and the centrepiece of those plans, by clicking 
Well, we have all had a few weeks to consider the implications of the new Equality Act 2010, which draws together more than 116 previous strands of equality legislation from the last 40 years with 9 protected characteristics including disability. A lot has already been written and no doubt, time will be the best test of the new law as cases begin to be heard before M'Learned Friend using the new legislation! 
The organisers of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) have published their ticket pricing structure across the 26 sports of the Olympic games. 
Exeter City Disabled Supporters Association (ECDSA) are very excited to announce the launch of their new website, enabling them to keep members and fellow supporters up to date with what is going on at ECDSA and what they are trying to do to help Exeter City in assisting disabled fans.
Now that has got to be news! Darlington Supporters Trust has made some big commitments to supporting the club, with sponsorship of the Youth Team and other support of the Conference outfit. 
An “inspirational” sportsman living with a brain tumour organised a golf day to raise money for his football club and the Watford charity that supports his illness. Steve Reeve has been the reserve team manager for Hadley Football Club during two spells at the Arkley based club, going back to 1977. 
Members of the Wakefield Trinity Disabled Supporters Association met with the club’s Director of Operations, Francis Stephenson, along with other supporters organisations at the Belle Vue stadium recently. 
The Kick It Out One Game One Community week of action are taking place between 14th-26th October 2010. Kick It Out is a significant equality and inclusion campaigning organisation and will be familiar to many of you..jpg)
A joint project between Exeter City and Plymouth Argyle Football in the Community Departments sees the launch of a new disability project, with funding of £40,000 coming from the Football Pools to help disability football provision across the region. 
Alan Montgomery, NADS member, is doing a a degree course in Football & Society, part of which includes a dissertation. To assist with his dissertation Alan is asking for fans to complete a survey he has produced. To access this survey and assist Alan please click 
So, if the old Sergeant Major in you is shouting "No Pain, No Gain", think again. v2.jpg)
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National Association of Disabled Supporters: The Meridian, 4 Copthall House, Station Square, Coventry, CV1 2FL. Helpline: 0845 230 6237 | Email: info@nads.org.uk | Web: www.nads.org.uk |