In partnership with Preston North End Community and Education Trust [PNECET] and Level Playing Field, Preston North End is proud to participate in the new national campaign ‘Unite For Access’ – a celebration of accessibility and inclusion for disabled sports fans.
Level Playing Field is a registered charity in England and Wales, and acts as a campaigning and advisory organisation to its membership and other parties across all sports.
In the UK, an estimated 22% of the population are disabled, yet many disabled sports fans feel that attending live sports is not possible, due to the environmental and societal barriers that disabled football fans face, which make matchdays inaccessible.
The most recent Level Playing Field Fan survey found that 28.5% of disabled sports fans considered the attitudes of others to be a barrier when attending live sport, and well over a quarter of disabled fans (36.5%) said they are unable to attend certain sports or sporting venues due to lack of accessibility.
As part of our matchday plans at this Saturday's home fixture against Wigan Athletic, PNECET has invited a wide variety of participants and members of the local community to enjoy a day full of fun and inclusivity at Deepdale.
Cardinal Newman College students who attend PNECET's weekly Premier League Kicks sessions have been given free tickets to watch the match, and they will be taking part in a special guard of honour as the teams walk out onto the pitch before kick-off.
The students will also get the chance to take a spot kick in the half-time penalty shoot out!
Furthermore, North End players will be sporting Level Playing Field t-shirts in the warm-up to raise further awareness of a more inclusive matchday experience for disabled sports fans.
Please visit www.levelplayingfield.org.uk to find out more about Level Playing Field and become a member for free.
You can also discover more about PNECET’s Community Engagement work by clicking here.