Unpublished! In the United Kingdom, the Newcastle United club offers its deaf fans haptic jerseys that transform stadium noise into tactile sensations in real time. Objective: improve the accessibility of sporting events. Go!
David and Ryan, ardent Newcastle United fans (pictured opposite), have been going to St James' Park (UK) since they were very young. On April 13, 2024, the match against Tottenham Hotspur will have a special flavor… These two deaf friends will wear haptic football shirts that will allow them to feel all the atmosphere and emotion of this legendary stadium. TO “first in the world”, according to Sela, official sponsor of the famous English club's shirts.
Available for all home games
These t-shirts transform stadium noise into tactile sensations in real time. They will now be offered to all Newcastle United fans with hearing loss, including children accompanying the players on match day, at every home game, the team promises. Aim ? Encourage other clubs in the “Premier League” (the equivalent of Ligue 1 in France), as well as those in Europe and elsewhere, to improve the accessibility of live sporting events! “We invite the entire football family to take the same approach to help overcome the barriers that deaf people face in fully experiencing the atmosphere and excitement of live football matches,” encourages Teri Devine, director of the Football Association. Football at the RNID (Royal. national institute for deaf people).
A match “solidarity”
Other news: Sela has decided to donate his sponsorship rights for this match to this charity that supports the 12 million Britons who are deaf, hard of hearing or suffer from tinnitus. “This is the first time such an organization will be represented on the front of a Premier League shirt.” Partners welcome.
There “new technology” at the service of accessibility
New technologies, a boost to the accessibility of sporting events? “Yeah”, 71% of deaf and hard of hearing Britons respond, according to a study carried out by the RNID in 2024. “Last but not least” (Last but not least), according to a previous survey, 93% of them declare that nothing can “overcome emotion” It feels like watching a game in a stadium.
Chelsea anthem in sign language
At the end of October 2023, another English club mobilized for its deaf and hard of hearing fans. At half-time, singer James Vickery, deaf in his left ear since birth, was accompanied by a choir who performed the iconic anthem of the Chelsea football club. “Blue is the color”, in British Sign Language.
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