Latics to support Level Playing Field’s Unite for Access campaign against Reading on Saturday 1 March

Latics to support Level Playing Field’s Unite for Access campaign for the visit of Reading
The Unite for Access campaign runs from Saturday 1 March to Sunday 16 March
Latics will be dedicating Saturday's game to Unite for Access - celebrating accessibility and inclusion for disabled sports fans
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Reading Fixture

Wigan Athletic is extremely proud to be supporting Level Playing Field’s Unite for Access campaign at Saturday’s Sky Bet League One fixture against Reading.

Level Playing Field is a charity that proactively works to remove the barriers when attending live sporting events, for disabled supporters.

Unite for Access, formerly known as ‘Weeks of Action’, is an annual, national campaign that runs from Saturday 1 March to Sunday 16 March, and aims to raise awareness and drive equality for a more inclusive match day experience for disabled sports fans.

Year after year the campaign helps to recognise why watching live sports is so important to disabled supporters and what clubs do to deliver this as everyone comes together to mark the occasion. The Club is proud to dedicate Saturday's game against Reading to 'Unite for Access' - a celebration of accessibility and inclusion for disabled sports fans.

Wigan Athletic is committed to encouraging and celebrating accessibility and inclusion with all our supporters, community participants, and staff. We want everybody to have the opportunity to be part of the Club, no matter their age, ability, or background.

Tics Together

The Club launched the Together branding in 2016, which is used as a platform to highlight the initiatives and schemes we have introduced. A real successful initiative was the launch of the 'Tics Together' Focus Group in October 2023, which is a group of supporters who work closely with the Club to help ensure Wigan Athletic is fully inclusive for everyone to be a part of.

The group meets quarterly to discuss areas of strengths and improvements that can be made to break down barriers to attending Wigan Athletic games and being part of this proud community club. The 'Tics Together' has raised key questions around accessibility, inclusivity, and action, and we're currently in the process of forming a Disabled Supporters Association (DSA). Any supporter is welcome to join the group - for more information on how to get involved, please email d.winnard@wiganathletic.com.

Accessible opportunites

The Brick Community Stadium is a place where all supporters are welcome, and we are proud to offer plenty of accessible opportunities from audio commentary for the visually impaired to hireable headsets. Welfare Stewards are positioned in all stands to provide a helping hand when required, while our Disability Supporter Officer (DSO) Louise Peet is always available to support members of the Latics faithful who may need additional assistance. Contact Louise on: l.peet@wiganathletic.com.

Rather fittingly in the days leading up to the Unite for Access campaign, the Club also launched a 'Warm Matchday Area' in Whelan's Sports Bar, following feedback at February's Fan Advisory Board (FAB) meeting. For elderly Season Ticket Holders or vulnerable supporters who have purchased a ticket, but are finding it too cold on the terraces, Whelan's Bar will show the matches via the Big Screen live feed.

Wigan Athletic Community Trust is also proud to support both children and adults to access inclusive football sessions across Wigan through the Every Player Counts and Inclusive Premier League Kicks football programmes. The free sessions are held every Wednesday at Laithwaite Park and further details can be found below:

Every Player Counts (For ages 18+), Laithwaite Park (Scot Ln, Wigan WN5 0UE), Wednesday, 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Inclusive Premier League Kicks (11 - 17 year olds), Laithwaite Park (Scot Ln, Wigan WN5 0UE), Wednesdays, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

While we're proud of the work that we carry out to make the matchday experience for disabled sports fans as accessible and empowering as possible, we're equally aware that there’s plenty of work still to be done to eradicate any potential barriers that supporters may face.

We're really happy to be promoting the work of Level Playing Field and their Unite For Access campaign.

To learn more, please visit www.levelplayingfield.org.uk or search for ‘Level Playing Field’.

Latics to support Level Playing Field’s Unite for Access campaign for the visit of Reading