Happy New Year from Level Playing Field
 Everyone at Level Playing Field would like to wish you a very happy new year. The next twelve months are going to be packed with awareness events and campaigns as we work towards promoting good access for all fans. We are delighted to have your support and hope to make 2012 hugely successful!
Level Playing Field Chair honoured
 Level Playing Field Chair, Joyce Cook, has been awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List for her services to disability sports. Joyce works tirelessly to promote good access for all supporters, and we are delighted that her contributions have been recognised.
Joyce said, “I am deeply honoured to have received an OBE but the award is really a reflection of the hard work shown by everyone at Level Playing Field and the Centre for Access to Football in Europe as well as our supporters and partners who are helping us change the landscape for disabled fans”.
Everyone at Level Playing Field is extremely proud of Joyce and believe that she fully deserves this honour!
Improving the disabled fan experience
Back in October 2010, Level Playing Field worked alongside The Football League and Juice Learning, who were hosting a Conference for Member Clubs. The title of the Conference was ‘Improving the Disabled Fan Experience’, and took place at Derby County’s Pride Park stadium.
The Conference was designed by Juice to give participants a clear understanding of what it is like to be a disabled football fan, and to effectively present the legal, business, and moral cases for attending to the needs of this important customer base.
To read more about the conference and view photos and video's from the day please visit Juce Learnings website:
http://www.juicelearning.com/case-studies/Football-League-disabled-supporters-event.php
Derby County have continued to show a keen interest in improving the matchday experience for disabled fans. At the CAFE Conference last year, the club’s Chief Executive Tom Glick and Disabled Liaison Officer Keith Marson presented some of the changes that they had made to do this. Real emphasis was put on the fact that even making adaptations with little cost can make a huge difference. An example of this was to secure some spare seats to areas of the concourse to act as rest points. ‘The Derby County Story’, as well as presentations by Tom and Keith can be viewed on the CAFE Conference webpage at http://www.cafefootball.eu/cafe-conference-videos.aspx.
Calling all sports fans - can you help?
This year Level Playing Field are planning to invite anyone interested - who would like to trial and develop a Match Buddies project – for their area to get in touch with us.
Match Buddies takes a partnership approach to matching disabled people with a ‘buddy’ who has a shared passion for sport to simply enjoy the game, the socialising and the atmosphere together, just like anyone else.
Kate Noble, Level Playing Field’s Researcher says ‘Although football and rugby have kicked off the idea, future projects could include other sports, and also a wide range of disabled people.’
Would you like to be part of looking to develop a Match Buddy type scheme in your area? Do you miss attending live sports because you would like to go with a buddy and haven’t found one? Can you suggest people who should be on our list to contact across England and Wales? We are particularly looking for people or organisations that can help to get our information sent out as widely as possible to disabled or sports interested groups.
To find out more or to tell us about your experience as a disabled sports fan contact Kate on Tel 0845 2306237 (message) or kate@levelplayingfield.org.uk.
The BBC needs presenters!
 Fancy yourself as the next Sue Barker or Gary Lineker? The BBC have begun a search for disabled people who would be interested in presenting with the broadcaster. The PresentAble scheme will look to discover and develop the presenting skills of disabled people.
Angela Chan, Independents and Diversity Executive at the BBC, said; “We’re looking for people with real passion and knowledge who are great communicators and have the potential to build lasting careers in the media. If you’re successful you’ll receive some of the best training the BBC has to offer, be exposed to a host of industry contacts, and have a great showreel to launch your presenting career”.
The deadline for applications is the 31st of January. For more information, and to apply, please visit
http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/news/presentable.shtml.
Gary Ablett 1965 - 2012
 The Level Playing Field team were deeply saddened to learn of Gary Ablett’s death last week. Gary enjoyed a successful playing career, becoming the only man in history to win the FA Cup with both Everton and Liverpool. Gary also played for Birmingham City and Blackpool, as well as loan spells at Derby County, Hull City, Sheffield United and Wycombe Wanderers. Gary made one appearance for the England 'B' team.
Gary was carving out a promising coaching career, and after working with Everton’s academy sides and Liverpool’s reserve team he was appointed manager of Stockport County. Gary was coaching at Ipswich Town when he fell ill with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2010, which he battled bravely against right up until his death on New Year’s Day 2012.
Gary leaves behind his wife Jacqueline and three children. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all.
News In Brief:
And finally, keep in touch
LPF takes your views very seriously and we can and will contact clubs and organisers to make sure that where there are problems, these can be resolved - where things have gone well, we'd also 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@levelplayingfield.org.uk, telephone us on 0845 230 6237, or write to us at the following address:
LPF, The Meridian, 4 Copthall House, Station Square, Coventry, CV1 2FL.
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