A level playing field: The threat of abuse is preventing more fans with disabilities from attending sports than ever before | Football news

The threat of abuse is a barrier to attending sporting events for more fans with disabilities than ever, according to a new report.

The percentage of fans citing disability abuse as a barrier was at its highest level (8.5 per cent) recorded in the four years charity Level Playing Field has been conducting annual surveys.

This is despite the poll receiving a record number of respondents this year, with 2,055 responses from a total of 1,924 fans, with some individuals giving answers for more than one team they follow.

Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out’s latest annual report for 2023-24. showed a 35 percent increase in the number of reports of abuse of persons compared to the previous season.

Level 2 data for 2024, released Tuesday afternoon, shows that the attitudes of others are the second biggest barrier to attending classes for 26 percent of respondents.

The report said: “Clubs should ensure that there is a clear process in place for fans to report any match-day disability discrimination they experience, and that this process is made known to fans. All reports should be taken seriously, investigated and responded to. Wardens should be properly trained to recognize and act on any abuse of disability.”

The report examined a wide range of issues related to the live sports experience for fans with disabilities.

A fifth of respondents said they would benefit from being able to pay in cash at venues, while more than a quarter (26.5 percent) said they would benefit from a physical ticket.

Almost half of respondents (47 percent) said they attended a game most weeks, which is two percent more than the number who gave the same answer in 2023.

However, there was a four per cent drop – from 34 per cent to 30 per cent – in those who said they attended once or twice a month, so the proportion of fans who regularly attend live sports overall is still slightly down.

Physical access to stadiums was the most commonly cited barrier to attendance – cited by 33 percent of respondents – but concerns about cost were the barrier that saw the biggest increase this year compared to last year – up 5.5 percent to 22.5 percent.

Difficulties with buying tickets were mentioned by 24.5 percent of respondents, and anxiety or lack of self-confidence by 24 percent.

Twenty-two percent said there was a sporting event or venue they were unable to attend because they were unavailable, the lowest percentage who said so in the four years of the survey.

“A key positive trend shown across the results is a year-on-year reduction in the proportion of disabled fans who said they felt unable to attend any sport or sporting facilities because they were inaccessible,” Level Playing Field chairman Tony Taylor said in the report. .

“The marginal drop in 2024, following a dramatic drop the previous year, is very encouraging. However, it remains completely unacceptable that more than a fifth of disabled sports fans cannot attend some events due to inaccessibility.”

Seventy-one percent said accessibility affected the time they arrived and left the place. Of that group, more than half said they arrived between one and two hours before kick-off, and more than a quarter left between 15 and five minutes before the end.

Concern about crowds was the main reason for early arrival and departure, by more than two-thirds of the group.

“In some cases, facility improvements would help alleviate these problems, but it is clear that changing the attitudes of other fans and implementing effective management would greatly improve the accessibility of the event,” the report said.

The report found that the ratings given to the affordability of places in England and Wales were similar to the first report in 2021 overall, with respondents choosing between non-existent, very poor, poor, adequate, good, very good, excellent and ‘don’t know’.

One in five fans with disabilities rated their interaction with stewards as insufficient. The report said the 2024 ratings were “significantly worse” than 2023.