Emirates Stadium, the Islington home of Arsenal FC, has been rated third among all the venues in the Premier League for the most accessible matchday experience.
SeatPick, the online ticket search engine, ranked Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in nearby Haringey the most accessible with an overall score of 6.55 out of 10, followed by Newcastle’s St James’ Park Stadium (5.87) and then the Emirates (5.82).
Tottenham’s stadium topped the list with an overall accessibility score of 6.55 on 10. It was a close call between Newcastle’s St James’ Park Stadium and Emirates Stadium with total accessibility score of 5.87 and 5.82 respectively for second and third place.
The Emirates stadium’s starting price for accessibility tickets is £19.75. The stadium is also reported to have nine each of accessible entrances and lifts alongside 37 disabled friendly lavatories in its premises.
With 258 wheelchair seats, equivalent of 0.43 percent of total seats, the Gunners home turf is one of the more accessible stadiums in the premier league.
The news will be welcomed by many disabled fans of the Gunners, but not everyone is impressed by the club’s third-place ranking. “I don’t think it reflects everything important,” said Anne Hyde, a wheelchair user who set up the Arsenal Disabled Supporters Association (ADSA).
Instead, Ms Hyde claimed that Arsenal’s facilities for the disabled are second to none: “We’ve got good viewing. It [the table] might reflect the number of seats. And it may be that some of the clubs have more seats than us. But then from all our accessible seats, people can see.”
As for losing to arch-rivals Spurs, in the accessibility league, Ms Hyde joked:
“I suppose it [Tottenham Hotspur Stadium] is not a particularly good ground to go and watch a game apart from the fact that you take your life into your own hands because of the fans. But again, that’s not on the table.”
According to Ms Hyde, Arsenal was the first club to have a signer signing British Sign Language (BSL) for the deaf and hard of hearing.
She said: “We have a signer before kick-off and half-time signing all the time. Many of the Premier League clubs don’t do that.”
“Our commentary is very good for the blind whereas some clubs don’t offer that service,” she added.
Emirates Stadium also has a sensory room for autistic children, which Ms Hyde claimed, “not all the clubs have”.
