Bolton Wanderers is delighted to confirm that a new in-stadium commentary service for visually impaired fans will be available for home fixtures, starting from Saturday’s match against Cheltenham Town.
Audio Description (AD) commentary is a specialist form of commentary that provides listeners with detailed descriptions of all the action as it occurs during a match.
Following fan consultation via a disability forum with Bolton Supporters’ Trust, Bolton Wanderers in the Community and Bolton Wanderers Disabled Supporters’ Association, the club has partnered with sound and vision specialists Alan March Sport (AMS), who provide the same service for a number of other clubs across England and Wales.
In addition, AMS have covered matches at the FIFA World Cup 2022, the UEFA European Championship, UEFA Champions League, Nations League, Europa League and Women’s Champions League Finals, as well as the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Phil Mason, Chief Operating Officer at Bolton Wanderers said: “We are proud to launch this brand new initiative for our visually-impaired supporters this Saturday.
“We extend our thanks to the Bolton Wanderers Supporters’ Trust and the Disabled Supporters’ Association for their support in ensuring we could make this happen.
“We hope supporters who take up the service enjoy everything it has to offer.”
The club advertised for commentators for the service in the autumn of last year, holding a training day at the stadium. The team selected have been practicing and learning from experienced AD commentators over the past two months and are now ready to cover every moment for fans inside the ground.
Fans who take up the service will be able to listen to the commentary via receivers around the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
The service is free to use and receivers can be booked ahead of a match by emailing tickets@bwfc.co.uk at least 24 hours prior to kick-off.
On the day of the match, please pick up your receiver from the Ticket Office. Supporters can bring along their own earpieces to plug into the receiver and then return the receiver to the Ticket Office at the end of the game.