WSL Manchester United v Chelsea: Football match experience

Talking about football is a first for the blog!

Allow me to elaborate though…

 

I’ve loved football since I was little. Many of my childhood memories are having a ball at my feet. I spent countless hours playing in the garden or having mini football matches with my friends.

As I got older, I found myself wanting to play more competitively in the same way my friends were doing. Little Holly didn’t understand why she couldn’t play in the school team with her sighted classmates. She was probably no older than 8 or 9 at the time.

To her, it was a sense of exclusion. A feeling that her vision impairment was stopping her from doing something she enjoyed. If only she’d have known about blind football back then. That would’ve changed everything.

 

Fast forward to 2022 when the Lionesses won the Euros, and I was reunited with my love of football once again. Like millions of people up and down the nation, they had me hooked.

Growing up, I was never exposed to women’s football or blind football. If I had, then I’d have most definitely given blind football a go.

Although I doubt I’ll be stepping on a pitch any time soon. Nevertheless, I’m well and truly in my women’s football fan era.

You’ll now find me tuning into every single Manchester United Women’s match, getting far too excited, coupled with nerves from time to time.

 

Manchester United hold a special place in my heart. My grandad was a huge United fan, so when I found myself garnering an interest in the Women’s Super League, I knew which team I’d be supporting.

 

With my family soon realising that women’s football had become a fixture in our household, I instantly said yes when my dad asked whether I’d like to go to a match.

Finding out that there was a game at the world-famous Old Trafford Stadium, it was time to do my research.

 

So let’s talk about the accessibility, and my experience of attending a football match as a blind fan. Me being me it had to be something I had to document on the blog.

 

Booking tickets

I’m no stranger to being sat on hold, waiting hours on end in a phone queue to book accessible concert tickets. I know from speaking to other disabled football fans, sporting events can sometimes be a similar experience.

I’m pleased to report that booking tickets with Manchester United was the complete opposite.

They have a wealth of information for disabled supporters on their website which I took the time to peruse.

Once me and my dad decided which game we’d like to attend, I sent over my proof of disability to the accessibility team, along with a few questions. The person who responded was extremely helpful and took the time to answer all my questions. They even assisted me with booking my tickets, ensuring that I could get appropriate seating.

I was able to then purchase my tickets online accessibly and independently with in a few clicks, or the press of keys in my case.

 

Once I’d purchased my tickets, I had to notify the accessibility team that I’d require a headset for audio commentary. Within a matter of hours, I received confirmation that my headset had been reserved, with instructions on where to collect it on the day.

And that was it! I was going to see Manchester United vs Chelsea on the final day of the 2023/24 Women’s Super League season, at the iconic Old Trafford!

 

My football match experience

I’ve only ever been to one football match when I was little. It’s safe to say that the accessibility has changed since then.

I had no idea what to expect. In a way, that added to the excitement.

 

Saturday 18^th May was here within a flash, and that could only mean one thing. It was match day!

Reppin my Man United shirt, all prepped and ready to go, me and my dad were on the road.

“I can see the stadium” my dad told me. Excitement filled my belly.

As we’d booked accessible parking in advance, we made our way to the designated carpark.

The moment I stepped out of the car, my ears pricked at the buzz of excited fans, plus a number of air horns thrown into the mix.

 

We made our way to the accessible gate. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait long before our tickets were scanned, and we were inside!

 

Because I’d pre-booked a headset for audio commentary, we followed the instructions I’d been given and made a steward aware. Once the headset had been collected and we’d been shown how to use it, we made our way to our seats. My dad had an excellent view of the pitch.

 

Ahead of kick-off, we were treated to a DJ set, getting the crowd in fine voice for the match. The DJ set was also the soundtrack of the players warm-ups.

Pre-match, we were given a special presentation of silverware being awarded for the Player of the Year, Goal of the Season, and Players’ Player of the Year awards.

Ella Toone was crowned Player of the Year for the 2023/24 season. Very well deserved indeed!

Ella also won the Goal of the Season award, for her scorcher at the FA cup final at Wembley the weekend before.

The final award was for the Players’ Player of the Year. “The votes couldn’t be separated”, the announcement echoed through the stadium.

That meant that the accolade was shared by both Ella Toone and Maya Le Tissier. A huge well done to both Ella and Maya!

There were also more celebrations, with us taking a moment to applaud the Under-21 and Under-16 academy teams for their recent accolades.

 

With the awards over, kick-off was imminent. The voices of the commentators made my headset spring into action. One of those commentators being former England goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain.

 

Headset on, the glorious sunshine beating down, I was on the edge of my seat, ready for what was in store.

It soon became apparent why Old Trafford is called the Theatre of Dreams. The atmosphere was electric. The stadium was buzzing from top to bottom.

We were all united by one thing; our love of women’s football. There’s just something special about thousands of people coming together for their shared passion.

 

Through the audio commentary, I was informed on the starting 11 for each team, the colours of their kits, and in which direction they’d be playing.

With all the intros out of the way, it was time for kick-off.

I knew that Chelsea would be set for business. Not only were they fighting for the title of the Women’s Super League, it was also their final game with boss Emma Hayes. Deep down I knew they’d give it everything. Although that made it no easier as a United fan.

 

With less than 2 minutes into the game, Chelsea had taken the lead. “Chelsea 1, United 0” I heard through my headset.

They then doubled that number a few minutes later.

The Reds took their chances though, with a corner from captain Katie Zelem that was met by a header from Maya Le Tissier, unfortunately hitting the bar. Those chances were echoed to me through the audio commentary, as well as the support from United fans around the stadium.

 

We were in near proximity of the away end of the stadium, with the chants of Chelsea fans ringing through my ears.

 

The half-time whistle was blown, and Chelsea were 4-0 up. “Chelsea 4, United 0” the commentator told us, further announcing they’d be back for the second half after the break.

 

During the interval, a few young girls from the Manchester United Foundation took to the pitch to show us their penalty shootout skills. The winner with the best celebration won a signed shirt from one of the Manchester United women’s team.

Although none of this was audio described to me, it was lovely to witness young upcoming talent having their moment on the legendary Old Trafford pitch. I’m sure we’ll see some of these little girls on our TV screens one day.

During half-time, some of the players from the subs bench came on the pitch to do some warm-ups. Something I was made aware of by my dad, because there was no audio commentary during the interval.

 

It was the second half before we knew it.

United made one change during the break, bringing on Aoife Mannion.

The second half started off strong for the Reds, with goalkeeper Mary Earps managing to block their attempt. The relief was evident from us United fans and the descriptions from the audio commentary.

Sadly that relief didn’t last long with Chelsea claiming a fifth goal.

 

United manager Mark Skinner made some further changes which were described to me through the commentary, bringing on Geyse and Hinata Miyazawa. It looked to be a good attempt as the two rallied up to at least provide us a consolation goal. Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be, proved by the Chelsea goalkeeper Zecira Musovic.

There were another two late substitutes for United, bringing on top Scorer Nikita Parris and Gemma Evans.

It felt like we were picking up momentum, until Fran Kirby gave Chelsea a sixth goal. That goal would be Fran’s last for the club.

 

We had one final moment to get that consolation goal, with Lucia Garcia taking the shot, although it wasn’t quite meant to be.

The final whistle confirmed that the Reds could do no more. “Chelsea 6, Manchester United 0” the scoreline from the commentator piercing my ears and bringing out all the emotions.

 

The result wasn’t what we wanted. But I went to that game supporting my favourite team, with the bonus of the match being at Old Trafford, something that was a bucket list moment for sure. It was all about the experience and going to support my favourite club.

The memories are priceless.

In many ways, I was following in my grandad’s footsteps.

 

At the end of the match, Chelsea were crowned champions of the 2023/24 Women’s Super League.

That wasn’t all though, as us Manchester United fans were given a parade of the Women’s FA Cup trophy pitchside. What a memorable moment.

 

The audio commentary

Having access to audio commentary at football matches makes them accessible to blind and vision impaired fans like me. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the game like sighted fans without it.

I can’t sum up into words the difference it makes. It’s a vital accessibility feature for many of us to be able to attend live events in the first place.

Following the game in real time through the audio commentary, and being able to show my support to my team with other United fans is something I don’t take for granted.

 

As a Manchester United Women’s fan, it was very reassuring to know that the audio commentary was available at the women’s games, not just the men’s. It goes without saying that that should be the case. For disabled fans like me, it’s a huge relief knowing that the women’s games are accessible for us too. I think that shows that we’re moving in the right direction when it comes to access and inclusion for women’s football.

 

I was really impressed with the audio commentary at Old Trafford. The commentary was provided by Man UTV.

The audio commentary kept me up to date with the game as it happened. It never missed a beat.

I was informed when each manager went to the edge of their technical area, and of any interactions with fans.

I was also given extra information I wouldn’t have got otherwise like notable attendees including England Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman, and former Manchester United Boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

It helped to set the scene of the stadium, giving me an idea of the setting we were in. I was told about the glare of the sun on particular sides of the pitch, the sea of red shirts of Manchester United fans, the celebrations of Chelsea fans in their blue shirts, and not forgetting the one United fan amongst the Chelsea supporters. Brave move!

As well as the key details of the action on the pitch, I was also informed of the camaraderie between teammates, and the rivalry of the two teams during play.

 

The audio commentary was provided just before kick-off, until the end of the match. That meant I missed out on the details of the pre-match warm-ups, action during the interval, and post-match celebrations, including the historic occasion of the FA Cup trophy being brought out pitch-side.

That’s one of the many reasons I’d love to see Man United implement audio-descriptive commentary.

Audio-descriptive commentary includes additional narration on significant visual information including body language, facial expressions, scenery, important action, clothing, colours and presentations or ceremonies. It also includes details of any action before the match starts.

It’s much more enhanced than audio commentary.

All of these details make for an accessible, inclusive matchday experience for blind and vision impaired fans, further adding to our experience.

 

Audio-descriptive commentary doesn’t include stats or lengthy summaries of the action that’s just happened, something I had with the audio commentary.

As a blind supporter, I’d much rather have all the visual detail relayed to me, rather than the summaries of the action that’s just happened.

I’d love to experience a Manchester United Women’s game with audio-descriptive commentary, helping me to be fully immersed in the game. Give me all the visual detail, please.

I do hope that more clubs implement audio-descriptive commentary, ensuring that blind and vision impaired fans can enjoy the beautiful game to the maximum.

 

Seeing my favourite team at Old Trafford was a pinch myself moment. I haven’t stopped talking about it since.

Despite the result, Manchester United certainly scored a goal in terms of accessibility. The accessibility and inclusion hit the back of the net at every stage, right from booking tickets to the match itself.

 

Now that I’ve been to one Manchester United Women’s game, I’m counting down until next season so I can hopefully go to more.

Come on you Reds!

 

Have you ever been to a football match and experienced either audio commentary, or audio-descriptive commentary? Are their any other clubs you think are raising the bar when it comes to an accessible matchday experience? Let me know in the comments.

 

Holly x