West Bromwich Albion's fixture against Coventry City on Friday night will see the football club and its disabled accessibility fan group, All Access Albion, support Level Playing Field with their Unite For Access initiative.
The annual campaign focuses on raising awareness and driving equality for a more inclusive matchday experience for disabled sports fans.
2023 was a record-breaking year, as involvement from 100% of Sky Bet Championship clubs helped take the total number of participating teams beyond 120.
And here at The Hawthorns, explains Head of Health, Safety and Facilities Management Chris Harris, Albion are always keen to mark the occasion and continue to back an important movement.
“The club is proud to once again support Level Playing Field and the Unite for Access initiative,” he said. “We pride ourselves on our approach to inclusivity and look to provide facilities that meet the expectations of all fans.
“There are always improvements that can be made and so our collaborative relationship with our ‘critical friends’ - All Access Albion - is a key element of the work that we undertake with regards to accessibility and supporter experience.”
All Access Albion launched in September last year, with captain Jed Wallace signing up as the men’s first team ambassador. The group was established by a dedicated army of supporters following an invitation from the club to represent the needs of disabled fans.
Simon Hill, a leading member of ‘AAA’ and former captain of the Baggies’ blind team, added: “We all either have a disability ourselves or have a personal experience, such as attending a match with somebody who has a disability.
“We’re all personally aware of the types of challenges that can crop up on a matchday. We’ve managed to achieve things such as having aided language display menus in the concourses for food and drink kiosks.
“The Coventry game is our United For Access matchday, and for the first time we’ll provide British Sign Language when the player names are read out before the match.
“There’s a lot of good work going on already showing people that, just because you may have a disability, you may think that attending a football match may be problematic. This work gives people the confidence that they can come to football.”
You can get in touch with All Access Albion by emailing contact@allaccessalbion.co.uk.