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Staff and volunteers at Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. have taken part in specialist training with Guide Dogs to help make match days more accessible and welcoming for supporters with sight loss. Brighton & Hove Albion, also known as the Seagulls, is the first club in the South East to complete the training to be able to safely and confidently guide visitors with sight loss.
The Seagulls’ home at the American Express stadium in Brighton can hold over 30,000 supporters. Many of these supporters already benefit from the Premier League club’s audio commentary and dedicated accessibility team, and many more will benefit from this and the support added with Guide Dogs in future.
In the UK, there are currently around two million people living with sight loss. During a 90-minute football game, 15 more people in the UK will have lost their sight. This number is expected to double by 2050.
Guide Dogs provides a wide range of services to help people with sight loss live actively, independently and well. This includes sighted guide training, a service which helps communities and organisations like Brighton & Hove Albion become even more accessible and inclusive.
The charity recently visited the Amex stadium to deliver the specialist training. Participants included members of Brighton & Hove Albion’s “Here to Help” accessibility team, staff from reception and security teams, and volunteers from Seagulls Disabled Supporters Association (DSA). Together they learnt safe techniques, skills and language needed to guide home and away fans who might need the support. The group then had the opportunity to practise sighted guiding around the stadium using eye masks.
This gave the staff and volunteers a chance to increase their confidence as sighted guides and better understand the difference this support can make for people with sight loss. Using the eye masks in pairs, they practised guiding each other around stairs, stands and to seats in the stadium.
In addition to teaching these practical skills, Guide Dogs’ sighted guide training helps raise awareness of the impact of sight loss and legal access rights of guide dog owners. This is crucial to the charity’s mission to ensure that people with sight loss can access the same spaces, services and experiences as everyone else.
Nicola Schwarz, Sighted Guide Training Officer at Guide Dogs, said: “Football should be for everyone, so it’s fantastic to see Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. taking proactive steps to ensure supporters with sight loss can attend and enjoy games. Sighted guide training is a practical, simple and impactful way to make a difference. It’s about empowering teams to offer support while also raising awareness of the barriers faced by people with sight loss in everyday life. Sighted guides can help ensure people with sight loss feel confident and supported wherever they go, and continue to enjoy hobbies and experiences like football matches.”
Katie Haines, Disability Liaison Officer at Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., added: “We were delighted to partner with Guide Dogs to deliver sighted guide training for our staff and Seagulls DSA at the American Express Stadium. Ensuring match days are accessible, inclusive, and welcoming for all supporters is a top priority for Brighton & Hove Albion, and this training equips our team with the practical skills and confidence to better support our visually impaired supporters.”
Bryan Martin, Chair of Seagulls Disabled Supporters Association (DSA), said: “Seagulls DSA was delighted to be invited to take part in the training session at the American Express Stadium. We gained valuable insights into the work of Guide Dogs UK and how different types of sight loss affect over 2 million people in the UK. The sessions on how to guide and be guided around the Stadium gave us a better understanding of the issues facing fans on match days.”
Guide Dogs offers sighted guide training to communities, businesses, and friends and family of people with sight loss. For more information visit:
guidedogs.org.uk/how-you-can-
guidedogs.org.uk/how-you-can-
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