As a Level Playing Field board member, I was invited to represent the charity at a game during the ‘Unite For Access’ campaign and attended Doncaster Rovers v Crewe Alexandra.
I drove to the ground, as Doncaster have plenty of disabled badge holders parking which they will happily sort for you. The parking is around the inner stadium road, and an annual parking ticket can be purchased by those that regularly attend games. You do have to arrive at least 30 minutes before kick-off, as no traffic is allowed after that.
Dan Breslin (disability liaison officer and equality officer) met me and looked after me all day. I was invited into the control room where everything happens on a matchday. It was very interesting to see how the club operates.
There are a range of different viewing areas, so we went and had a look from these locations and caught up with some wheelchair users with season tickets. They were very happy with what is offered for them at the stadium. The concourse area was spacious, and they had plenty of accessible toilets.
We had the opportunity to walk through the players tunnel and go to pitch level to watch the players warming up, wearing their ‘Unite For Access’ t-shirts.
We watched the game pitch side and just before half-time had a look at the family stand where Donny’s kennel is. This Is an area for children to play indoors with various games available. During the game it is a safe place where neurodiverse children can go to relax if things are getting too much. So, although they do not have a sensory suite, they do offer a quieter environment if needed.
It was great to experience behind the scenes on matchday and Doncaster had done great with their facilities, to enable more fans to attend matches.
Thank you for reading about my matchday experience and we would love to hear more about yours, so please Have Your Say and send us both positive and negative comments.
Jo McNicol