Newcastle United fans who are deaf or have hearing loss will “feel” the noise at their next match for the first time through special shirts.
Fans will be wearing the shirts, which will convert the noise around the stadium to vibrations, in the stands for their Premier League home game against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
It comes as research from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) revealed 71% of people with hearing loss surveyed believe technology can make live sporting events more accessible.
The charity hailed the technology as having the potential for a “real and lasting impact” on how people with hearing loss experience live sports.
“One in five adults in the UK are deaf or have hearing loss, but people often face barriers in everyday life – including in live sports events,” Teri Devine, director for inclusion at RNID, said.
“We’re excited to be part of this collaboration and we hope this exposure opens up conversations among football fans about hearing loss and encourages other football clubs to raise their game and make sure deaf fans are fully included.”
Microphones will be placed around St James’ Park, converting the noise into digital sounds and transmitting that data to the shirts.
Each shirt will receive the data in tiny electronic circuits, which will cause motors to vibrate according to the volume of the crowd.
Among those to don the shirts this weekend will be friends and lifelong Newcastle United fans David Wilson and Ryan Gregson, who are both deaf and use British Sign Language to communicate.
It’s a move driven by Newcastle United’s front-of-shirt sponsor Sela, who hope the initiative will “inspire” other football clubs.
The company has donated its space on the Magpies’ shirt this weekend to RNID, with the charity’s branding also visible on pitch-side hoardings.
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Peter Silverstone, chief commercial officer at the club, described the “unsilence the crowd” campaign as “highly innovative”.
The match will kick off at 12.30pm on Saturday 13 April.
