A Liverpool-based tech start-up has launched a new stadium visitor guide feature on its app to help clubs better support fans with additional needs.
Picturepath's new feature enables fans who would typically struggle in heightened sensory environments, such as sports stadia, to reduce sensory stress by seeing, planning and preparing for each stage of their matchday visit.
For fans with additional needs - particularly those with autism, large crowds, loud cheering, floodlights, sights and sounds typical on matchdays can induce significant anxiety that stops many from attending.
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Clubs are increasingly looking for solutions to improve access, inclusivity and allow all fans to enjoy a fair and equal matchday experience, Picturepath said.
The feature was used for the first time at the weekend - at Cambridge United's Abbey Stadium.
Speaking of the collaboration, Cambridge United’s fan director Dave Matthew-Jones said: "I am really keen to make our matchday experience at the Abbey as inclusive as possible, providing facilities and support that meet the needs of all of our supporters’ interests.
"It is fantastic to be at a club that truly supports this. I am delighted that the work we are doing with picturepath strengthens our offering for fans, in particular those with additional needs."
Picturepath’s visitor guides launched this week with Cambridge United being the first club to make it available to their supporters, with "several more clubs" to be announced in the coming weeks.
The guides allow fans to better manage their expectations and reduce anxiety by building visual timelines that map out their matchday experience.
The app uses images from each specific stadium including transport links, stadium entrances, routes to seats, toilets, catering and navigating back home.
Picturepath, a visual timeline app to help people with autism and additional needs to plan and progress through their day, recently received a £880,000 investment from The Future Fund and Nova Growth Capital.
The funds have facilitated the product extension, and future plans to expand the software throughout UK and international schools.
