An inclusive world for all sports spectators

On July 4, 2023, Kingspan Breffni Park Stadium became the second stadium in Ireland, and the first outside of Dublin, to have a designated sensory space for football fans with sensory sensitivities. And I, as an autistic self-advocate, got the opportunity to visit it lately, along with some of my classmates.

For autistic people or other people with sensory sensitivities, going to a football match can be a much more stressful ordeal than for most others.

Stadiums are almost always crowded, noisy and chaotic. This is why sensory spaces such as this one can be such a huge help in creating inclusive spaces that allow people with sensory sensitivities to do what they love without the extra stress and risk of sensory overload.

The sensory booth was constructed within six months and cost approximately €50,000 to complete. In order to pay these costs, the stadium received funding and grants from Sports For All, Cavan County Council and The Department Of Health amongst many other institutions and charities.

The stadium itself also invested around €15,000 into the project as well. It was opened in an official ceremony by famous Irish golfer Shane Lowry, a Kingspan ambassador.

The sensory room is accessed through a wheelchair-friendly side entrance, making even entering the room an effective escape from the overwhelming hustle and bustle of a crowded football stadium.

The sensory room itself is decently-sized, with four cushioned chairs and two beanbags lining the back wall, placed in front of a mural of various wild animals, which takes up much of the back wall.

The padded walls feature textured panels; some soft, some rough, some smooth and some bumpy, allowing for various types of sensory input depending on whatever the guests may require, based on both the person and the situation.

The left side of the room has a carpet flooring while the right side has a padded flooring. There is a fake fish tank in the right-hand corner of the room, softly glowing in pastel colours that gradually morph and change.

It is located on a slightly raised platform of padding, which can be used as a bench or, alternatively, could be used for climbing or jumping based stims. For example, stepping up onto the slightly raised platform and then jumping off of it and onto the padding below.

There is a funhouse-style mirror with raised glass bumps on it located on one wall. Despite the amount of stuff in the room, it doesn’t feel overcrowded or suffocating, with plenty of free, open space throughout the room.

The lighting in the room is also adjustable, allowing for it to be as bright or as dim as you like. The glass doors from which you enter the room double as the window from which the match is viewed. There is a large curtain that can be used to cover it if you so desire.

On top of the glowing fish tank, there is another source of mood lighting in the room. A dim, blue light located in one corner of the room, as well as a projector that projects stars onto both the walls and the ceiling of the room in the dim light. All of this combines to create a calm, relaxing atmosphere.

While I can definitely see the appeal of the room, I believe it should be noted that the room is most likely aimed at and most suited to younger children.

I would also recommend that people should bring their own fidgets or stim toys in case the sensory panels in the room don’t do it for them, as they do not appeal to everyone. Most personal items are permitted within the sensory room so guests may bring their own snacks and other personal items, perhaps for entertainment purposes, if they so wish.

The view from the sensory room is equivalent to that of a front row seat, as the entire pitch is visible from the booth. As a bonus there is also the fact that the booth being completely indoors results in shielding from the rather unpredictable Irish weather.

On top of that, the sound from the inside of the booth is muffled, allowing the announcements to be heard but preventing the overwhelming chaos of the stadium from leaking in. There is also easy access to the bathrooms, which are just around the corner from the sensory booth.

The sensory room must be booked beforehand, however it is easy to do so and completely free. The room is usually reserved for one family at a time, however there may be some exceptions depending on the demand for the room. It will be available to book starting this year, not only for football matches, but also potentially for the concerts that the park may begin hosting starting later this year.

When asked about the sensory room, the head of operations at Kingspan Breffni Park, Martin Cahill, that he thought it was “definitely worth” the time, money and energy it took to construct it, saying that at Kingspan Breffni Park, they would like to “accommodate for all” of their “diverse fans”.

Overall, I believe that while it might not appeal to everyone, the sensory room recently constructed in Kingspan Breffni Park Stadium is a small but important step towards a more inclusive world for autistic people and people with sensory sensitivities in Ireland.

About The Author: I am a transition year student at Carrigallen Vocational School. I am an aspiring journalist, writer and autistic self-advocate. I have previously written an article, entitled ‘Loving my autistic self’, for The Anglo Celt.