Support for 18th 'Weeks of Action'

SUFFOLK FA are once again supporting Level Playing Field’s ‘Weeks of Action’ campaign.

Disability charity Level Playing Field are celebrating their 18th ‘Weeks of Action’ campaign from Saturday, February 26th to Sunday, March 13th, which aims to showcase the good work being done by clubs and organisations to improve accessibility and inclusion across all sports.

This year’s theme celebrates the return of fans after stadiums reopened after the suspension of live sport.

To support the campaign, Suffolk FA are getting involved by helping our disabled supporters learn about Level Playing Field and understand what they do, what their aims are to improve accessibility and inclusion, and how they can assist disabled fans.

Suffolk FA Football Development Officer (Growth) Kirsty Smith, who is also responsible for inclusion, said: “The Level Playing Field Weeks of Action are a really important campaign to be a part of.

“Football is the biggest sport within the country and the county – however not everyone has the chance to easily participate or watch live football on a regular basis.

“We believe this campaign is a great way of highlighting the barriers some people still face within football – just to play or watch a local/professional football match, whilst also trying to raise awareness of all the great work that is currently going on.

“We are striving to make football inclusive within Suffolk and campaigns like this are a great way at trying to achieve that and break down barriers.”

Who are ‘Level Playing Field’?

Level Playing Field are a sports charity that act as a campaigning and advisory organisation for disabled sports fans.

The charity supports disabled sports fans through the following channels:

Membership programme

As a user led organisation, Level Playing Field’s members are always at the heart of what they do. Their shared passion for sport and equality really drives them to influence long term change and improve the spectator experience for all disabled fans.

The Level Playing Field ‘fan’ membership is free to join, and includes the following benefits:

Weekly ‘match day’ newsletter with general LPF updates.
Quarterly ‘fan’ specific exclusive newsletter.
Invites to take part in annual events such as Weeks of Action and regional/national forums.
Official membership Certificate.
It’s free to become a member.

Other benefits include:

Access to independent, expert advice and guidance on access and inclusion issues.
Opportunity to feedback on Access and Inclusion through LPF’s annual survey.
Opportunity to network with other disabled fans, fan groups and disability/sports organisations.

To become a Level Playing Field member, click here or contact ben@levelplayingfield.org.uk

Active Level Playing Field initiatives

Level Playing Field run a range of initiatives for disabled sports fans, working to improve the matchday experience.

Active Level Playing Field initiatives:

The Level Playing Field podcast – A monthly podcast series with guests from across the sporting community.
Have Your Say – We ask disabled fans for their feedback, whether it’s positive or negative, from their experience at live sports events
Talking Sport – During the pandemic we launched the Talking Sport initiative, where fans could chat to a member of the team in a bid to battle loneliness. After great success we’ve continued the initiative and continue to welcome fans to get in touch!

To find out more about the above, contact liam@levelplayingfield.org.uk

Level Playing Field’s work

Level Playing Field work behind the scenes with clubs to help improve accessibility at sports venues to ensure disabled supporters can experience the best possible match day. Common areas of improvement are sensory rooms, accessible toilets, audio commentary, and accessible club shops and food concession stands that include drop-down counters.

Areas of improvement can be highlight by clubs through Level Playing Field services such as: