Wembley goes inclusive with sensory rooms

Article posted by Coliseum, May 18^th, 2022

Image: MJR Group Ltd./Coliseum

The Wembley Stadium (UK) has opened two new multipurpose sensory rooms to better accommodate neurodivergent guests for matchdays and live events.

The ‘Access All Areas’ stated that the new rooms at the 90,000-capacity venue, which is owned by the Football Association (FA), has been created to ensure guests “with the widest range of access requirements” are provided with a safe and comfortable environment to enjoy events.

The 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium is a football stadium in Wembley, London (UK). It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium hosts major football matches including home matches of the England national football team, and the FA Cup Final.

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The Football Association (FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the amateur and professional game in its territory.

The ‘Access All Areas’ further stated that the sensory rooms have been designed and installed in partnership with multisensory equipment specialists Experia, and in consultation with music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins. Wembley Stadium’s naming rights partner EE is providing the spaces with fiber connectivity.

Experia is the UK’s number 1 designer, manufacturer and installer of Wireless Multisensory Equipment. It takes an innovative approach to creating multisensory environments for all ages and abilities and has brought together some of the most experienced professionals in the industry along with the latest technologies to provide cutting-edge multisensory equipment with the end-user in mind.

The Nordoff-Robbins approach to music therapy, also known as creative music therapy, developed from the 17-year collaboration of Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins beginning in 1958. It was originally devised as a therapy for children with psychological, physical or developmental disabilities.

EE (formerly Everything Everywhere) is a British mobile network operator and Internet service provider, which is a brand within the BT Group. EE is the second-largest mobile network operator in the United Kingdom, with 26.1 million subscribers as of September 2021.

Said Wembley Stadium’s Customer Engagement Manager and Lead on Disability Access Planning and Provision, Matthew Owen, “We pride ourselves on being an inclusive stadium, and this further reinforces that commitment. On a personal level, having been involved in disability access throughout my career and as an adult with Asperger’s Syndrome, I have seen first-hand the benefit these spaces and programs can bring. I would like to thank everyone who has helped bring these spaces to life – including Experia, Nordoff Robbins, EE, and the wider team at Wembley Stadium.”

Added Owen, “I’d also like to acknowledge the efforts of The Shippey Campaign, who worked with the English professional football club Sunderland A.F.C. to bring the first sensory rooms into a football environment.”

Wembley Stadium claims it has become the first music venue in the United Kingdom to provide sensory rooms for neurodivergent guests.

Last year it announced that it would offer British Sign Language (BSL) as a guaranteed service at every live concert. All future concerts at the stadium will offer BSL interpretation with services provided by Performance Interpreting Limited.

The Wembley Stadium has 16 Summer live shows planned this year including concerts by the English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, Irish boy band Westlife, English singer-songwriter Harry Styles, and the British rock band Coldplay.

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