This article is part of a Herald Sport special on disabled facilities in Scottish football, shining a light on the progress that has been made, the work that still needs to be done, the help that is available to clubs and the barriers to accessibility that disabled fans face.
When St Mirren committed to building a raised platform for disabled supporters in the Main Stand of the SMiSA Stadium, the impact was more than simply practical.
Contributions from the club’s partners and the award of a grant to help complete the works from the Scottish FA’s Scottish Football Partnership Trust, allowed the Saints to become one of the first clubs in the country to have such a facility for their disabled fans, and it has been warmly received by those who have used it since.
And as Stuart McCabe, the club’s Disability Liaison Officer and chair of the St Mirren Disabled Supporters Association explains, the effort made by the club to secure funding and construct the platform brought a symbolic feeling of ‘being seen’ that was almost as important as the physical improvement it has made to the experience of many fans.
“Our stadium is one of the few grounds in Scotland that's got a raised platform,” McCabe said.
“Obviously for that to happen, they had to take some of the seats out and reduce the capacity. So, it was a sacrifice by the club.
“The platform is very useful in the winter when it's quite wet and windy. It helps protect a lot of people in the cold weather, especially people who've got more severe disabilities than I do and still want to enjoy the match experience as well.
“As I say, it is almost a unique platform in terms of there's only one or two grounds in Scotland that's got a kind of raised platform that's built into their stand.
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"I think it's always important when you've got disabled supporters that they have to be considered when they go to football matches, because why shouldn't we be involved in having an enjoyable experience going to a football match in Scotland? Or anywhere, for that matter.
“We know that disabled supporters are a key part of the football club they support, regardless of who it is they support. It's whether they've got the people involved and the initiatives in place to develop these areas for people with disabilities to enjoy. And that's one of the key things that is probably still sadly lacking, not just in Scotland, but in England as well."
While St Mirren may have received financial help from the Scottish Football Partnership Trust in building the platform, McCabe would like to see disabled supporters having more open channels of communication with the game’s governing bodies in order to ensure that a wider range of needs are being met consistently in stadiums throughout the country.
"I would like first of all for the SFA to take up more of a proactive role in engaging more with disabled supporters in terms of how disabled supporters would want their experience to look,” he said.
“Because not everybody's got the same type of disability. They might have a hearing impairment, a visual impairment, so one thing might not suit another person.
"I think what's key is improving the communication between football authorities and obviously clubs themselves, and let the clubs have a bit more of a say in how that's shaped.
“One of the key things I'm hoping to do in my role is engage with the SFA. I know the likes of Celtic, other clubs have got DLOs, but I'd like to see more of a visual aspect of where the SFA take the lead on helping disabled supporters when it comes to attending football matches.
"I’m fairly new in the role in terms of being the DLO, and for my part, I'm trying to change the way the club have been thinking about including more disabled supporters, because obviously, as I said, there's different people with different disabilities who attend games.
“It's about trying to make it as inclusive experience as possible. We've got a quiet area in the club, for example, for people who've got more challenges and need maybe a wee bit of a quiet space during the game.”
“If you've got a person with a disability that is able to be a part of the club and be an integral part of helping run the club for disabled fans, that obviously helps,” he said.
“Someone who's not got a disability is not going to have that experience of what it's like for somebody to come to a match. Somebody's got to have that lived experience to really be able to advise the club on how that's going to look or how it should look.
“Although this is a volunteer role for me, it's quite a specific role in terms of what's required. And it was great to be asked.
“We've got a good CEO in Keith Lasley, who obviously has seen something in me that gave me this opportunity, and I hope that together, we can continue to work for the type of things we need in Scottish football for people with disabilities.”
