Aberdeen FC has embarked on its first strides towards enhanced accessibility for the deaf community by successfully organising two guided tours of Pittodrie Stadium, fully supported by British Sign Language (BSL). The events attracted significant attendance and were met with resounding success.

In a collaborative effort spearheaded by Danielle Rennie, a BSL Interpreter, and Colin Davidson, a proficient Deaf BSL User, along with Lynn Fiske, AFC’s Supporter Liaison and Disability Access Officer, the vision to enhance inclusivity and accessibility for the deaf community at the club materialised with the introduction of BSL interpreted stadium tours.

To kickstart the venture, Dons season ticket members Danielle and Colin established the Aberdeen FC Deaf Supporters Facebook page, uniting deaf supporters in discussions around all things AFC. The group gathered considerable attention within the deaf community and quickly gained popularity through links shared across local community groups and organisations.

The Facebook page served as a vital platform to share details about the BSL guided tours, which were also extensively promoted through the extensive deaf community networks. Colin also produced videos for the page, where he adeptly signed the information to promote the upcoming tours.

Reflecting on the initiative, Lynn Fiske expressed her delight, stating, ‘This was a fantastic initiative and one I really enjoyed being part of. I have known Colin for many years and when I was approached by Danielle to discuss making Aberdeen FC more accessible to the deaf community he was the first person I reached out to.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Danielle and Colin who both did a sterling amount of work getting this initiative off the ground and reaching out to the deaf community, we had enough interested supporters to lay on two tours.

“Danielle was brilliant, giving her time and energy and a fantastic time was had by all who attended. This was a real community effort with help from Aberdeen Deaf Group and Deaf Action assisting to bring fans along to the event, this is just the start of the journey to making our club more accessible.

Any Deaf BSL using supporters interested in taking part in a guided tour of Pittodrie Stadium or with BSL enquiries should email slo@afc.co.uk.

By taking this significant step towards accessibility, Aberdeen FC reaffirms its commitment to fostering an inclusive environment and endeavours to further advance its efforts in making the club more accessible to the Deaf Community.

Colin has produced a video signing the information in this article: