Glamorgan County Cricket Club have done some exceptional work this season by developing their access statement for Sophia Gardens and becoming the first cricket club to develop a Disabled Supporters Association (DSA) in England and Wales.
By listening to disabled supporters and partnering with Level Playing Field, Glamorgan have adapted and improved their match day experience for their disabled supporters. This has turned Sophia Gardens Cardiff into an even more enjoyable place for disabled supporters.
This year Glamorgan County Cricket Club (GCCC) have continued to improve on the match day experience for disabled supporters. Building on their detailed access statement in 2017, Glamorgan are looking to become the first cricket club with a DSA.
Glamorgan CCC published their detailed online access statement to help disabled supporters prepare for their visit to the stadium. Click here to read about the full details of accessible services and facilities on offer at the Sophia Gardens. Glamorgan CCC’s development has been accelerated by their fantastic work with their disabled supporters.
As a result, Glamorgan CCC are in the process of becoming the first cricket club to have a DSA. After carrying out some research including a survey of all their disabled supporters, Dan Cherry, Head of Operations at the club identified the opportunity to set up a disabled supporters association. On the 11th of June, Glamorgan CCC invited a number of disabled supporters to Sophia Gardens to have the first consultation meeting about establishing the DSA. Level Playing Field attended the event and acknowledged the passion the disabled supporters and the club staff have for making an inclusive enjoyable match day experience for everyone.
Dan Cherry - Head of Operations at Glamorgan CCC went on to say "At Glamorgan Cricket we pride ourselves on offering a warm Welsh welcome to all spectators who visit Sophia Gardens and we have been pleased to achieve strong customer experience scores over the past few years. As a club we are committed to engaging with our disabled supporters to further improve our facilities and it has been great to work closely with Level Playing Field to look at ways in which we can do so. We look forward to working together in the future so that our Stadium can continue to provide memorable experiences for our members and spectators."
Ruth Hopkins - General Manager of Level Playing Field said, “The encouraging actions of Glamorgan to work with disabled cricket fans is a positive statement of intent. Having this provision to listen to disabled fans allows the county to recognise the good work it does already and to further build on this, along with identifying any shortfalls in access and putting a coherent and relevant action plan in place to address any issues.”