First Team
BSL Stadium Tour Rounds Off Week of Action
19th March 2019
The club was delighted to host a British Sign Language interpreted stadium tour to a group on Monday afternoon as part of the CAFE Week of Action 2019.
The tour was organised in conjunction with Deaf Links and the fourteen strong complement of football fans were shown around McDiarmid Park by the club's Disabled Access Officer, Beverley Mayer, who was aided by a registered BSL interpreter.
Feedback from the group has been excellent and Alana Harper, CEO of Deaf Links, said of the stadium tour: "The guys had a ball yesterday at McDiarmid Park. They really enjoyed the tour and Facebook has been flooded with photos. Another great success!"
Part of the stadium tour takes groups into the first-team dressing room where they bumped into Liam Gordon and Callum Hendry to pose for photographs before yesterday's SPFL Reserve League clash with Partick Thistle FC.
The group contained a mixture of Saints, Arbroath, Aberdeen, Dundee, and Dundee United supporters with many of them sticking around afterwards to take in the Reserve match yesterday afternoon.
The BSL Stadium Tour rounds off a busy week of activities at the club as part of CAFE's Week of Action.
And Disabled Access Officer Beverley - who is also the club's Supporter Liaison Officer - has been delighted with the week's events despite the unfortunate postponement of Saturday's match against St Mirren.
Beverley said: “The BSL interpreted stadium tour captured the imagination of deaf/non-verbal football fans and allowed them to participate in something that they may ordinarily have felt excluded from.
"It was great to welcome so many enthusiastic and inquisitive people on the tour!
"The CAFE Week of Action is a great way of showcasing the excellent facilities McDiarmid Park has to offer disabled people. It enables us to raise awareness of how inclusive we are as a football club and as a business.
"Unfortunately, for the second year running our inclusive match day event was postponed on Saturday due to inclement weather but it will be rearranged for another match at a later date."
St. Johnstone FC would like to thank the following for their assistance with our CAFE Week of Action 2019 events:
- Graeme Doig (Scottish Disability Sport)
- David McPhee (Perth & Kinross Council)
- Perth Strathtay Harriers
- Autism Initiatives One Stop Shop
- Kinfauns Stables RDA
- SITC Mental Health & Wellbeing Football Team
- Hospital Radio Perth
- David Fordyce & guide dog Emily
- Deaf Links (Dundee)
- P&K No Limits Cricket Team
- Ken Johnston (St Johnstone DSA)
- St Mirren Disabled Supporters’ Association
- Centre for Inclusive Living Perth & Kinross