Disabled Supporters

Tuesday, 19 March 2002, 0:00
2 mins read

Home > Story Index >The Way We Treat Disabled Supporters

Over the last few weeks I’ve noticed that on the message board, people are saying that the armchair supporters should be getting out of their armchairs and coming to the Vetch. I agree with them, but there are some supporters who are disabled finding it difficult to get to and into the vetch. There are also supporters who rely on the Internet for information as they unable to come to the club or hear (on the radio) the game due to distance. I know there are diehard disabled supporters group who turn up in all weathers, sitting with only that slipshod canopy covering them, conditions that are the reportedly the worst in the third division Is this anyway to treat these supporters? I remember on one occasion being told that the disabled toilets are well away from the disabled sitting area, and that there is a problem due to the lack of disabled parking.

Many have commented and I agree that the misuse by some make the orange badge provision a farce. But we must not forget that not all orange badge holders are dishonest and we must make provision for the genuine disabled fan. Looking to the future one can only hope that disabilities are taken into account when the building of the new Morfa stadium commences. Maybe supporters could be polled as to what amenities could and would be useful in the new stadium. If the management committee needed someone to give them an insight into the difficulties arising from disabilities then I would volunteer having been employed in the disabilities sector.

There are a lot of disabled supporter who use the main areas at the Vetch and the stewards do a wonderful job helping them, so the club is doing something but I believe this is not enough. I know the club has financial problems and that disability probably has a low priority at this time. But this issue must be dealt with if we are to continue to get their support.

Are you a disabled supporter? What (if any) problems have you had or are you having, I would be interested to know. Please give your replies via the message board or e-mail me I’m on the fan base. Let us see if something can be done by the supporter trust. We have to tell them these things as if they don’t know the nature of your problems then they can’t help. So let us see if we can stop our disabled supporters being treated as second-class citizens, any ideas will be appreciated.

Dave H

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