Sports Sensory Map expands to Ireland
The Spautism Sensory Map has expanded to Ireland with the support of the League of Ireland, the top competition for professional football in the country.
Three different adult leagues operate under the League of Ireland umbrella – the Men’s Premier and First Division, and the Women’s Premier – over 100 years since the first competition was founded with eight teams in 1921.
Now more than 30 clubs are competing across the top three divisions, including Bohemian, Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers, and Waterford – all of whom feature on the Spautism Sensory Map for providing autism initiatives to supporters on matchdays.
The Sensory Map was initially launched by Spautism back in October to provide an accessible, interactive guide for sports fans to see the sensory support that is offered on matchdays by professional sports clubs in the UK.
Please click here to view the Sports Sensory Map: https://sport.li/nk-sensorymap
The map was commended by Waterford’s Head of Community, Colin Power, who recently helped his club place as runners-up in the European Football for Development Network (EFDN) More Than Football Awards for their autism-friendly initiatives.
Power said: “We don’t have the money to compete with some of the autism initiatives in England, but publishing information like this and getting it out there is what it’s all about.
“The map is brilliant, because if I’m going to an away match and I have a kid with autism, I can click on there to see what facilities they might have or might not have – but more importantly I can bring the kid with me.
“We are behind the curve in Ireland, and I hope other clubs see Waterford FC on the map and ask themselves, ‘why can’t we do that?’
“Spautism publish stories about the genuine positivity that you can experience working with kids and parents with autism, and I have got so much out of it myself. I would encourage anyone to get involved.”
Derek O’Neill, Community Development Manager at the Football Association of Ireland, said: “The Waterford FC autism programme demonstrates that it’s feasible for every club in the League of Ireland to make a contribution to ensuring a better experience for people with autism who would like to attend their matches.
“Resources are vitally important, but Colin Power has found that the parents and family friends are prepared to assist the club in any way they can to promote a better matchday experience for their kids.
“The Waterford FC club ambassadors have been a huge part of the programme’s success to date.”
Tom Cliffe, Director at Spautism, said: “It’s important to spread the word about these clubs who are making a big difference to autistic people, despite having much smaller budgets and resources to many of the UK-based teams who are also on the map.
“There is a common fear that organisations need to undertake major changes to become more autism friendly, but at Spautism we talk a lot about reasonable adjustments. Waterford’s success is a great example of listening and adapting over an extended period of time.
“We are very pleased to expand the map to Ireland, and if any clubs want to learn more about how they can become more autism friendly on matchdays, please get in touch with the Spautism team.”
Email [email protected] to enquire about sport-specific autism training, resources, and consultancy.
