WSL Arsenal V Brighton: Football match experience

I talk a lot about how accessibility is a part of everything I do. Whether it’s work or hobbies, even the mundane stuff like purchasing everyday essentials. It really is woven into my life in every way possible.

That includes being a football fan.

I take pride in my work as an accessibility advocate.  So when something I love isn’t accessible, it stings that little bit more.

Realising that the football team that runs through my family didn’t seem to consider the accessibility of their women’s team matches or seem to care about disabled fans was a bitter pill to swallow.

How can I support a club that didn’t live my values?

How can I give them money, when my support didn’t feel as important to that of non-disabled fans?

The short answer: I can’t.

With all that said, I’ve spent a lot of time over the last few months mulling over the football I truly put my heart and my support into.

Since attending an Arsenal match for the first time last season, they made a lasting impression on me. Although that impression had been made long before I attended. It confirmed everything I already knew and hoped.

Whilst I’ll always show my support to the club that holds a special place in my family, Arsenal are the club that are getting my full support from now on.

In no way have I switched teams, pledging my allegiance to someone else. I’ve always been an Arsenal fan. Now I’m shouting that louder.

Why? Because they care about disabled fans. The accessibility is second to none. That, for me, means more than results on a table.

Given the title of this post, you can tell who’s match I attended this weekend.

In what’s become a bit of a tradition over here on the blog, here’s my experience of attending Arsenal versus Brighton in the WSL at Emirates Stadium.

 

Booking tickets

Purchasing accessible tickets is made so much easier when the process is, umm… accessible in the first place.

Since I’d booked accessible tickets with Arsenal before, I knew what to expect. Even if I hadn’t have done that, all the information was easy enough to find, and the process was straight forward.

Looking through the fixtures, I chose the Arsenal versus Brighton match. Travelling from up North, the kick-off time is one of the things that is a deciding factor for the matches I’m able to attend. That kick-off time worked nicely.

I called Arsenal’s Disability Liaison Team as soon as they opened when the tickets went on sale. Eager, I know.

I spoke to a lovely lady from the Disability Liaison Team who talked me through the various seating options available. I somehow managed to get tickets on the Club Level – something that’s a bonus at Emirates Stadium. It’s popular amongst supporters and well recommended online, so I discovered.

Once I’d purchased my tickets and my audio descriptive commentary headset had been reserved, everything was sorted. All done in under 10 minutes. A win already.

 

The match

Sunday 12 October rolled around, and that only meant one thing: matchday in North London!

After a minor train delay travelling down to London, we arrived in the capital with plenty of time to spare. WE then made our way to Emirates Stadium.

When we arrived, we found the entrance we needed where a steward kindly offered to take us through the accessible gate at the turnstiles. He also gave us a copy of the matchday programme which was included in our ticket. Arsenal do an audio version of the programme, so I’m very much looking forward to listening to that in the coming days!

Once inside, we made our way to our block, where another steward showed us to our seats.

Once settled, a member of the Disability Liaison Team appeared with my audio descriptive commentary headset. He took his time to make sure everything was working properly and checked that I knew how to use it. I really appreciated him taking the time. It made the experience much more personable.

Earphones in, headset switched on, and I was ready!

The audio descriptive commentary had just started when I popped the earphones in. I was pulled in to the commentary right away where the two commentators were describing how the stadium was bathed in sunshine on this glorious Sunday afternoon, and ran through the team line-ups. They also set the scene, describing how the ground staff were watering the pitch, along with how the atmosphere was building in the stadium with colourful flags and signs adorning the stands.

One of my favourite things about audio descriptive commentary is how you’re given all the extra details you wouldn’t get in standard audio commentary. It helps me build a picture in my head, making me feel included on what’s going on around me.

It was soon time for the players to make their way out of the tunnel, met with a rapturous applause.

Arsenal’s anthem North London Forever rang out around the stadium. A song that gives me goosebumps every time.

The referee blew her whistle, and we were underway.

It was a quiet opening 8 minutes. Although that didn’t last long.

Arsenal had the first chance, when Caitlin Foord flicked Mariona Caldentey’s corner into the path of their £1 million signing Olivia Smith who fired her effort just over the edge of the penalty area. I was told of the exact distance from the audio descriptive commentary.

Moments later, the Gunners came close once again when Katie McCabe’s cross nearly caught out the Brighton goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, forcing her to tip the ball onto the crossbar. It would have been a moment of magic if it had gone in.

The audio describers chuckling, exclaiming “imagine if that would’ve gone in!”

The first and only goal of the game came in the 16^th minute, when Olivia Smith’s cross took a deflection off Brighton’s Marisa Olislagers, catching the Brighton goalkeeper out at her near post and nestling safely into the net.

The crowd erupted. The famous football song Freed From Desire soundtracking the celebrations.

There was some confusion of whether it was Smith’s goal or if it took a deflection, although the audio describers soon kept me up to date with the decision.

Despite it being an own goal, I think we can collectively agree that Olivia Smith’s talent meant she would have sealed the victory either way.

Not long after the goal, my audio description commentary headset decided to stop working. Don’t you just love technology?

Huge credit to the Arsenal staff here who replaced it within around 5 minutes. Thankfully I didn’t miss any crucial moments of the match.

A new headset later and I was back in the game.

Brighton came close to equalising the score when Kiko Seike almost got on the end of Jelena Cankovic’s ball through the far post, with Katie McCabe reading it well and denying the opportunity.

Brighton looked threatening again towards the end of the first half, when Ueki was driving to the byline, forcing a quick save from Arsenal’s goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar. That save earned an applause from the Arsenal fans, with the audio describers praising her skill between the sticks.

The half-time whistle blew and it was time for the audio describers to take a break.

Towards the end of the half-time, they returned to share their reflections and got us ready for the second half.

Arsenal started the second half quickly, with Katie McCabe testing the Brighton goalkeeper once again. Not long later, Olivia Smith’s volley was blocked in a sea of Brighton players, or what my audio description described as “purple shirts”. That caused a scramble in the 6-yard box, resulting in a corner.

That was just one of many corners that proceeded throughout the next few minutes.

Brighton almost had an equaliser at the hour mark when Carla Camacho met Cankovic’s cross with a powerful header. Arsenal’s Van Domselaar was quick to react, making an impressive diving save to keep the scoreline at 1-0.

Arsenal made a triple substitution midway through the second half, bringing on Stina Blackstenius, Beth Mead and Kyra Cooney-Cross. The audio describers letting me know of the on-pitch changes in sync with the stadium announcer.

There was a lengthy stoppage in play as Brighton’s Maelys Mpome experienced a concerning head injury. My audio description kept me updated throughout, letting me know what was happening during the stoppage.

She was taken off the pitch in full support of an applause from both the home and away fans. Wishing her all the best.

One of Arsenal’s best chances of the second half was in the 80^th minute, which came from a corner, when Blackstenius met McCabe’s delivery, narrowly heading it onto the crossbar.

There was 13 minutes of added time, giving each team plenty of time for chances.

Alessia Russo almost doubled Arsenal’s led with a volley from the edge of the penalty area, but saw her effort fly just wide of the post at the start of the extra time. If anyone was going to get close, it was going to be Alessia.

There was another good opportunity from Blackstenius, but her effort was just wide of the far post.

With the full-time whistle echoing throughout the stadium, the game wrapped up at a 1-0 victory for Arsenal.

Once again, Freed From Desire was the soundtrack to the celebratory atmosphere.

A win and a clean sheet, I’ll take it.

 

The audio descriptive commentary

This is the second time I’ve used Arsenal’s audio descriptive commentary which is provided by Alan March Sport, and once again, I was blown away. I’m hoping this will be the second time of many that I get to experience the fantastic audio descriptive commentary.

Every kick, attempt on goal, set piece and everything in between was described to me with passion. There was even attention to detail like how the sun was making the pitch look even more spectacular, colours of the kits, as well as their body language and facial expressions.

Even though my headset had to be replaced part way through, it was done swiftly, meaning I didn’t miss much of the action.

There’s no comparison to audio descriptive commentary and the standard audio commentary. There’s something about the former that gets me taking in every word of what’s being described.

Whether it’s where the ball is being placed for a throw-in or how agonisingly close the attempt on goal was, I’m given every detail audibly which sighted fans are seeing visually. That, for me, makes the experience.

If clubs need a reason to implement audio descriptive commentary, then there’s only one sentence I can think of to sum it up: a feeling of inclusion like no other.

I hope that inclusion is embedded into every angle of women’s football the more the game grows.

 

Although it wasn’t a game with lots of goals, there was plenty of action.

A win, a clean sheet, brilliant accessibility and amazing audio descriptive commentary? I couldn’t have asked for a better Sunday afternoon in N5.

If you’re a fellow blind or visually impaired football fan and use audio descriptive commentary at matches, I’d love to hear about your experience.

 

Holly x