At least eight Premier League clubs are not expected to complete agreed improvements to their stadiums for disabled spectators by the start of next season.
Talking at a Culture, Media and Sport Committee hearing into accessibility at sports venues, Level Playing Field chair and Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) board member Joyce Cook said there had been “lots of excuses” made by Premier League clubs in relation to the required improvements.
In 2015 the Premier League made the pledge that all 20 clubs would be compliant with the Accessible Stadia Guide – the SGSA handbook for making grounds disabled-friendly – by August 2017.
However, Cook said that at least eight would not have completed the work and that a number will only have formulated plans by the deadline – a situation she called “worrying” and “obscene”, considering the amount of revenue Premier League clubs generate and spend on wages and player transfers.
She said a number of non-compliant clubs had explained that their grounds would be used for events during summer 2016, leaving summer 2017 as the first appropriate date for the relevant work to begin.
Cook told the committee – chaired by Conservative MP Jesse Norman – that she “wasn’t buying” the explanation and highlighted that Manchester United had constructed two quadrants for disabled people at Old Trafford in the middle of a Premier League season.
Derby County FC and non-league club Wrexham were commended for the improvements they had made for disabled people in their respective stadiums, but Cook said the “situation was dire” across all sports for disabled spectators.
Grounds with capacities of at least 600 should have one per cent of space dedicated to disabled spectators, but Cook said only 5 per cent of First Class county cricket grounds were meeting this requirement, while only one Premiership Rugby stadium could claim that figure, despite support from governing bodies to improve.
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At least eight Premier League clubs are not expected to complete agreed improvements to their stadiums for disabled spectators by the start of next season.
Talking at a Culture, Media and Sport Committee hearing into accessibility at sports venues, Level Playing Field chair and Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) board member Joyce Cook said there had been “lots of excuses” made by Premier League clubs in relation to the required improvements.
In 2015 the Premier League made the pledge that all 20 clubs would be compliant with the Accessible Stadia Guide – the SGSA handbook for making grounds disabled-friendly – by August 2017.
However, Cook said that at least eight would not have completed the work and that a number will only have formulated plans by the deadline – a situation she called “worrying” and “obscene”, considering the amount of revenue Premier League clubs generate and spend on wages and player transfers.
She said a number of non-compliant clubs had explained that their grounds would be used for events during summer 2016, leaving summer 2017 as the first appropriate date for the relevant work to begin.
Cook told the committee – chaired by Conservative MP Jesse Norman – that she “wasn’t buying” the explanation and highlighted that Manchester United had constructed two quadrants for disabled people at Old Trafford in the middle of a Premier League season.
Derby County FC and non-league club Wrexham were commended for the improvements they had made for disabled people in their respective stadiums, but Cook said the “situation was dire” across all sports for disabled spectators.
Grounds with capacities of at least 600 should have one per cent of space dedicated to disabled spectators, but Cook said only 5 per cent of First Class county cricket grounds were meeting this requirement, while only one Premiership Rugby stadium could claim that figure, despite support from governing bodies to improve.
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
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Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
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A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
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Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
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The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
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