Fulham Matchday Experience

Craven Cottage is one of the oldest stadiums in English football, and includes two Grade II listed buildings. Despite this, the club have recently had an LPF Access Audit carried out and have identified areas of improvement.

The club have been able to make inventive modifications to improve accessibility and provide a better service for disabled supporters. The club have released a short video that demonstrates the facilities and services available to disabled supporters at Craven Cottage. The four minute clip details how two fans in particular arrive at and get around the stadium, and can be viewed here.

We feel that this is a great example that improving accessibility at stadiums does not have to be a long and costly exercise, and that even the oldest stadiums can easily be modified. The club has reacted positively to the LPF Access Audit that was carried out and has started to take positive steps towards making Craven Cottage more accessible and providing an inclusive matchday experience for all supporters.

"Well Done Fulham"

2013 Weeks of Action

Important dates for your diary. The LPF 2013 ‘Weeks of Action’ are approaching fast. They run from the 6th April to 21st April 2013. This is a very real opportunity for clubs or organisations to highlight the positive work they do for their disabled supporters. Further details including a list of suggested activities and programme template are available here. Do let us know what your plans are so we can help with publicity. If you have any questions or queries, feel free to get in touch with us by emailing info@levelplayingfield.org.uk or calling 01244 893 584.

Sheffield United Disabled Supporters celebrate their 15th Anniversary

Sheffield United Disabled Supporters Association enjoyed a night to remember to celebrate their 15th anniversary.

Around 75 SUDS members enjoyed the night where they were joined by a host of club dignitaries including Blades Manager Danny Wilson, FC chairman David Green, Operations Director Dave McCarthy and club legend Tony Currie who is Patron to SUDS. To read the full story, please click here.

Spectating Football as a disabled supporter by Trailblazor David Gale

People who have got to know me in the past few years through Trailblazers will know that I am a big fan of sport and in particular my local football team Carlisle United. Due to this I have over the years been to many sporting events including Wimbledon, Wrestling and the Olympics. One of the main issues I wanted to tackle was access in and around stadiums because this is still an issue that affects a lot of disabled spectators of sport. To read the full article by David click here.

LPF Fans Awards

The 2012 Fans Awards nominations are now closed, and the winners will be announced shortly. Don’t worry if you didn’t get round to nominating, the 2013 nominations have now opened and will remain so until end of December 2013. Nominating is easy just send an email to info@levelplayingfield.org.uk saying who you are nominating and why they would be a worthy winner.

Two LPF 'Working Together Project' DSA's hold First AGM’s

Swansea City FC-Swans Disabled Supporters Association

Swansea City FC DSA will represent all disabled supporters and will provide representation for disabled fans to address concerns and problems directly relating to their match day experiences.

Their first Annual General Meeting was held on Friday 1st February 2013 at the Liberty Stadium with presentations by the club on the Swansea City Supporters Trust and by LPF on the working together project and on the benefits of having a DSA. For more information on the DSA and AGM see here.

Wrexham FC DSA

The Wrexham FC DSA will represent all disabled supporters and will provide representation for disabled fans to address concerns and problems directly relating to their match day experiences.Their first Annual General Meeting took place on Thursday 31st January 2013 in the 1873 Suite. Further details of the DSA and the AGM are available here.

Fans Comments:

Below are some new fans comments left since the New Year.

• Brentford
  
• Cheltenham
  
• Leicester City
  
• Liverpool
  
• Mansfield Town
  
• Newcastle United
  
• Notts County
  
• Sheffield Wednesday
  
• Stoke City
  
• Torquay United
  
• West Ham United 

To leave your own comment on a stadium you have visited go to our website www.levelplayingfield.org.uk and select the club/venues tab and click on the relevant club. If you require any assistance or would like some more information please contact us via info@levelplayingfield.org.uk or on 01244 893584.

Roving Reports:

Below are some new Roving Reports left since the New Year.

• AFC Telford 
• Southport 

If you would like to write a Roving Report or would like some more information please contact us via info@levelplayingfield.org.uk or on 01244 893584.

News in Brief:

Easy News- United Response release first accessible newspaper for learning disabled people. For a copy please see here.

Transport for All news- news on roll out of manual ramps at tube stations, wheelchair space on bus campaign and £100m in extra funding to make stations accessible see here.

TEDxWhitehallWomen- event videos on You Tube- Please see here for Martine Wright's speech and here for Joyce Cook's speech.

Survey: UK Train experiences of wheelchair users and travel companions- a short online anonymous survey, which is available by clicking here.

RFL complete hat-trick of Stonewall Top 100 Index appearances- for more information see here.

Equality and Human Rights Commission announce new Board- new board members at the EHRC have been announced. The new Disability Commissioner is Chris Holmes MBE. For full details please see here.

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.

You can email us at info@levelplayingfield.org.uk telephone us on 01244 893 584 or 0845 230 6237, or write to us at the following address:
LPF, c/o CAFE, Regus House, Herons Way, Chester Business Park, Chester CH4 9QR.