Walsall FC is pleased to support the 2019 Level Playing Field (LPF) Weeks of Action.
This annual initiative, now in its 14th year, aims to celebrate access and inclusion for disabled sports fans across England and Wales.
Disabled people constitute the largest minority group at around 15% of the population and this number is increasing year on year. Naturally, a large number of disabled people are football fans too and we are pleased to take this opportunity to thank our own disabled fans for their continued loyalty and dedication to this great club.
But we also appreciate that many disabled people have yet to share the passion and pleasures of being a football fan. Walsall FC is pleased to provide a number of facilities suitable for disabled supporters, including our new Fan Zone, which is open to all supporters from before and throughout the match and welcomes disabled fans along with their families and friends.
As such, Walsall FC is pleased to support the Level Playing Field Weeks of Action 2019 by the players and Swifty wearing t-shirts to show our involvement. The Walsall FC DSA will be presenting a wheelchair to the club for use by disabled fans on matchdays. It is also consulting with other bodies to improve facilities for supporters with visual or hearing impairments and provide packs for fans with learning difficulties or who are on the autistic spectrum. The DSA is looking to arrange a sponsored walk during the close season, on which we will announce further details in due course. We are joining together with sports clubs, fans and organisations across England and Wales who are all #WeeksOfAction2019 and have chosen to share one common message - access and inclusion for all.
For the Fleetwood game, Rainbow Group brought several families with disabled children to their first ever live match, and some adults and children with disabilities to their second or third game. The Fan Zone offered an ideal meeting place before the game and a refuge during the match when needed. They all had a great time and want to come again! Liam Bird, the Fans' Liaison Officer for Level Playing Field, came along with them to interview the families about their first experience of a live football match.
For more information about Level Playing Field (LPF) and this year’s Weeks of Action, please visit www.levelplayingfield.org.uk email info@levelplayingfield.org.uk or call 01923 545 370.
Alternatively you may wish to send a message of support to @lpftweets using the hashtag #WeeksOfAction