Soccer-Deaf Newcastle fans to experience stadium atmosphere through Soundshirts

Newcastle United's sponsor Sela are introducing haptic shirts which will allow deaf supporters and those with hearing loss to experience the raucous atmosphere at St. James' Park this weekend, the Premier League club said on Thursday.

Newcastle United's sponsor Sela are introducing haptic shirts which will allow deaf supporters and those with hearing loss to experience the raucous atmosphere at St. James' Park this weekend, the Premier League club said on Thursday. The Magpies host Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, and for the first time ever, deaf supporters will get a taste of their stadium's roaring crowd through technology which transforms the noise of the stadium into touch sensation.

Fans and matchday mascots who are deaf or have hearing loss will be wearing these groundbreaking shirts, known as Soundshirt, in the stands. "Ensuring every fan is able to experience the amazing atmosphere is so important to us as a proud partner of Newcastle United," Ibrahim Mohtaseb, Senior Vice President of Sela, said.

"St. James' Park is renowned for its noise and passion. Through this initiative, we hope to enable deaf fans and fans with hearing loss to feel a part of it." Sela have also donated its shirt and pitch-side sponsorship to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), the charity which supports the 12 million deaf people in the UK, the first hearing loss charity to feature on a Premier League jersey.

"One in five adults in the UK are deaf or have hearing loss, but people often face barriers in everyday life, including in live sports events," Teri Devine, Director for Inclusion at RNID said. "It's fantastic to see Newcastle United and Sela leading the way in championing this technology, which has the potential to have a real and lasting impact on how people who are deaf, and have hearing loss, experience live sports."

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