Before a recent Tranmere Rovers friendly match, we headed over to the team’s home ground at Prenton Park in Wirral to meet Ellis Palmer, Chair of the club’s Disabled Supporters Association.
Read our chat with Ellis to find out about the ways disabled people can be supported to better enjoy the matchday experience at Tranmere Rovers…
Hi there, can you tell us more about your role here at Tranmere?
My name’s Ellis Palmer (pictured left). I’m the Chair of Disabled Rovers which is the Tranmere Rovers Disabled Supporters Association. We’re here to support disabled Tranmere fans, but also those who come with them to games – through both creating a community for disabled Tranmere supporters and those who come with them. But also the club will occasionally ask us for funds for sensory packs for autistic and neurodiverse fans, or stickers for the seats for disabled Tranmere Rovers fans in the wheelchair-using bays. There’s all the things like that which we fund and support at the ground, really.
I think it’s really important that clubs have disabled supporters from the get-go, because it’s very important that disabled people feel represented, and feel part of the community. And football clubs are kind of wonderful in ensuring people are able to do that, in towns where a lot of the municipal structure has been taken away that might support people.
You know, for me, I see this as a big opportunity for disabled fans to come together, to organise as disabled supporters, to make the change and be the change that you want to be in the world, really. But also then, as a kind of community for disabled fans to meet, to socialise, because I think that’s really important as well.
So, what sort of challenges do you find, when you go to other grounds, that disabled fans might encounter?
I think there’s a lot of challenges when you go to grounds that you’re not necessary familiar with. Like infrastructure – Where do you go? Where do you pick up the tickets? How do you get in? How do you find out?
And that’s something we’re quite good at doing here [at Tranmere] is, if you are an autistic or neurodivergent supporter, if you go to the club shop and you do need help, they’ll get a steward who is able to help you to your seat.
We’ve also got free lanyards, which stewards are trained to recognise. So, if supporters do need assistance, they’re able to get that assistance from the stewards as a way of getting in and around the stadium.
At Tranmere’s ground (Prenton Park) what sort of support can autistic people get? Is there a calm room that they could go to?
There is a sensory room, it also doubles as a multi-faith prayer room, and a classroom on non-match days. That’s located in The Kop, so if you need the use of that, ask your nearest steward and they’ll be able to take you to it.
Unfortunately, the downside of it is, in its current state it doesn’t have a match-viewing position. The unfortunate thing is that Prenton Park, unlike more modern stadia which might have hospitality boxes that might be able to be turned into sensory suites, Tranmere unfortunately, because of the age of the infrastructure, and because of the way the infrastructure was rebuilt back in 1995, and we don’t have that infrastructure in place, where fans are able to watch the game as it goes on. But we do have one and it is available as a calm space for fans to go to.
We, as Disabled Rovers, also last-year funded the purchase of sensory packs. So, it’s a form on the website [click here to access] where fans can go and request the sensory pack, and I then get the email to say someone has requested the pack, and I get in touch with them and arrange for them to have a sensory pack. It has everything, like fidget spinners, everything people might need to be able to enjoy the match day in a more sensory-aware environment.
So how could people we support have closer links with Tranmere and your supporters’ group?
I think it’s really important that if fans come to games – please, please, please feedback. Our email is tranmereroversdsa@gmail.com. Get in touch too on social media. We’re Disabled Rovers on both Facebook and Twitter. Get in touch with us and feedback your experience, that would be really good to hear.
But also, if you’re unsure about coming to games, get in touch with us. We have got resources available around familiarisation with the stadium and everything like that, about and around accessibility for fans.
If they do want to come and they do want to enjoy a match day experience, these resources are available for people. Just come, just enjoy the match. We’re your friendly, local, Football League club and we’d love to have more autistic, more neurodivergent, and disabled supporters along for the ride!
Some useful links to find out more:
