The importance of the family connections through football was discussed by fans featured in Level Playing Field’s ‘Unite For Access’ campaign film.
Disabled fans of different Premier League and EFL clubs joined a Dedicated Football Officer and Level Playing Field’s Head of Fan Engagement & Supporter Services.
The video is available to view above, with British Sign Language interpretation and audio description, while a full transcript is located at the bottom of this page.
The annual celebration of access and inclusion for disabled sports fans is running until March 15, with events taking place at more than 100 clubs and venues.
The 2025 ‘Unite For Access’ campaign brought together sporting communities across England and Wales. For more information, or to get involved, please get in touch.
Level Playing would like to give a special thanks to all of the contributors and host venues from this year’s film.
The full transcript of the video starts here:
Daniel
Going to the football every week with my granddad has really brought us closer.
Daniel
He would come and pick me up and the roles have sort of reversed a little bit. He has Parkinson’s, and so I go and pick him up now.
Laura
When I started it was something to do with my son.
Laura
I wanted to be involved with his life, it’s a great way to bond with him and spend that time with him.
Michaela
So generally, I find the most out about Ronnie and what he’s done at school after a football game because he’s been in an environment where he’s been able to be himself, that mask has come off and it’s just Ronnie.
Michaela
We get that one-to-one time, we get that connection, we also get to share a passion and it’s just memories.
Sophie
It gives us that father-daughter time.
Sophie
Sometimes we may just not speak about things that perhaps are a little bit sensitive – but when you’re at the football, it sort of opens the floodgates I suppose.
Lindsay
I started going with my dad when I was 11 and the first game I came back when he was no longer here, that was heartbreaking. I sobbed the whole match, kept looking over to where he used to sit.
Lindsay
My father’s last words to me were, “Did we win today?”