Wanderers have been shortlisted in the Diversity Award category at the prestigious EFL Awards later this month.
The club have been nominated alongside Huddersfield Town and Charlton Athletic in a category that celebrates and recognises excellence in equality, diversity and inclusion.
Wanderers’ nod is for the extensive work carried out in the past 12 months to improve and upgrade accessibility at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
The work has been driven by the Stadium Accessibility Group, consisting of senior club staff, representatives from Bolton Wanderers in the Community, the Disabled Supporters’ Association and the Bolton Wanderers Supporters’ Trust. Members met regularly throughout the 2023/24 season to review, consolidate and deliver a series of planned work.
Works have incorporated facility upgrades and new initiatives for both disabled supporters and some of our more vulnerable visitors, and have included:
- The installation of a Changing Places facility for people with multiple and complex disabilities.
- The opening of a dedicated Quiet Room for supporters who may experience sensory overload.
- The opening of a Well-being Hub for vulnerable supporters and community participants to access both on matchdays and non-matchdays.
- Delivering a new in-stadium audio description commentary service for visually impaired and blind fans.
- Introducing an Accessibility Passport to assist disabled supporters when moving around the stadium.
Neil Hart, Chief Executive Officer at Bolton Wanderers said: “We’re proud to have received a nomination in this important category for work we believe has made our club a more accessible, welcoming and safe place for all those who visit.
“We want to make sure there are no barriers in place for supporters to enjoy the game we all love and we are delighted that many fans are now feeling the benefits of the new initiatives and facility upgrades we have put in place.
“We look forward to attending the awards ceremony in a few weeks’ time.”
You can see the full list of nominees for the awards here.
Winners will be announced at the event in London on Sunday 14th April.