Barnsley Football Club is delighted to be dedicating Tuesday evening’s fixture against Bolton Wanderers to raising the profile of Level Playing Field’s ‘Unite for Access’ campaign.
The Reds’ players will be visibly offering their backing by wearing t-shirts adorned by the Level Playing Field branding during the warm-ups. Level Playing Field (LPF) believes that being a disabled person is a social issue and that an individual only becomes disabled because of the social, attitudinal and environmental barriers that the individual faces (this is known as the social model of disability).
Our efforts are focussed on removing these barriers in all sports. LPF and its members will know they have succeeded when all fans can enjoy an equal experience at live sports events and all stadia and sports venues are fully accessible and inclusive.
Tonight, we have participants from the Barnsley FC Community Trust’s ‘Inclusive Reds’ project in attendance who will be leading the team out before doing a lap of the pitch at half-time.
The project takes place weekly in collaboration with local partners, aiming to engage adults with SEND and underrepresented groups. Sessions will be delivered at Oakwell Stadium from 9am to 3:30pm every Wednesday, with a total of 39 sessions being delivered over the year. The sessions will incorporate educational workshops, arts and crafts, quizzes, bingo and opportunities to get involved in physical activities to improve both physical and mental wellbeing. The activities will be delivered within the Indoor Training Centre at Oakwell and consist of; chair based exercise, boccia, adapted football, cricket and badminton. Delivery of the provision will be undertaken by our qualified staff members. Participants will be supported by key support staff and delivery staff in these activities. Each week a theme will be developed through the consultation with participants.
Head of Ticketing and Fan Engagement, John Bird said: “We are proud to work with Level Playing Field to make Oakwell accessible for all by removing the barriers supporters face when attending fixtures. We have a couple of new initiatives which are going to be launched before the end of the season which will enhance the matchday experience for a number of supporters. With Level Playing Field’s help, we hope to introduce more improvements during the close season in time for the 2024/25 campaign.”
