Newcastle United will wear shirts branded with a hearing loss charity logo for their game against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend as the club pioneers groundbreaking technology that will allow deaf fans to experience the atmosphere at St James’ Park for the first time.
In what is believed to be the first of its kind anywhere in Europe, kit sponsor Sela has helped create shirts using haptic technology, which transfers the noise of the stadium into a real-time “touch sensation” for fans who are deaf or hard of hearing.
It is understood that representatives from some of the top leagues across Europe will be present at St James’ Park to see how the cutting edge technology works, with Newcastle hoping to prove pioneers for what they believe will be “game changing” for deaf fans.
As part of the campaign Saudi events firm Sela has also “donated” its front of shirt sponsorship and advertising hoardings for the match to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID).
All of the mascots for the game will be deaf or hard of hearing and will be wearing the shirts. They will also be distributed to deaf and hard of hearing supporters at the match.
Sela, which is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has also pledged to introduce the technology at every future home game.
Newcastle’s chief commercial officer Peter Silverstone said the campaign – which has been titled “Unsilence the crowd” – has the potential to enhance the experience of deaf supporters.
“It fills everybody associated with this initiative with deep pride, from all at Newcastle United, Newcastle United Foundation, Sela and RNID, along with all of the stakeholders who have helped make this possible,” he said.
“We believe that ‘Unsilence the Crowd’ will be truly game-changing for football and expect this campaign will revolutionise the football experience for any fan who is deaf or has hearing loss, regardless of which team they support.”
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/ht0Oy7Z
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