Hull City's disabled fans get a louder voice

Hull City's Disabled Supporters Association is launching on Wednesday

Hull City supporters with a disability should soon receive better access when attending football matches.

The Disabled Supporters Association (DSA) meets for the first time later and coincides with a home fixture against Birmingham City.

City’s head of marketing Andrew Clark said the club wants to make a “meaningful change for the better”.

David Batte, the DSA's chairman, said the association will provide a voice for fans who find it harder to enjoy watching the Tigers, perhaps due to discomfort.

“This tells everybody who is a Hull City fan that the club and the DSA are working together for the benefit of fans with disability," he said.

“Let’s talk about how we can improve the facilities, how we can improve the experience. I have had Crohn’s disease for a long time, so I am very passionate about the club embracing people with bowel disease, kidney disease and urinary issues.

Responsive to feedback

“We felt at Hull there was no voice for disabled fans, there was no one representing them on the supporters’ committee last season. So one or two of us thought this needs to improve."

Mr Batte said they had done some research and discovered there was a large number of supporters who were anxious about attending matches “which is something people in general don’t think about”.

He said that one supporter, who has a colostomy bag, had described having to leave his jacket on the floor when changing his bag, while others explained the matchday experiences of supporters with autism and ADHD.

Mr Batte said the club has been “responsive” to a lot of the feedback.

“There is every reason to believe things can be a lot more forward-thinking in the future,” he said.

Improve matchday experiences

Rugby league side Hull FC shares the stadium with the football club and Mr Batte said the DSA is hopeful the two clubs can join forces to improve the stadium experience for its members.

The launch event will be in the stadium's Dugout Bar between 18:00 and 19:00 GMT and the DSA’s 12-month plan will be explained. Members of the Supporters Trust, Tigers Trust, Hull City and Hull FC will also be in attendance.

Mr Clark said: “We have worked with members from the DSA since the beginning of the season.

“The supporter liaison officer Brendon Smurthwaite and disability supporter liaison officer Leanne Jensen have been working closely with the DSA to improve the matchday experiences of disabled supporters.”

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