Newcastle and Sela: haptic shirts for deaf fans

Sela, Newcastle United's front-of-shirt sponsor, will introduce revolutionary haptic jerseys that will allow deaf and hearing-impaired fans to experience the atmosphere of St. James' Park for the first time. In fact, it will be the first time in the history of world football that deaf people will be able to feel the real sound of a live stadium.

Using haptic technology, these shirts transform stadium noise into tactile sensations in real time, and will debut in the Premier League match this Saturday, April 13, between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur. Both the fans and the boys and girls who will take the field with the team before the game - all of whom are deaf or have hearing loss - will wear these haptic shirts in the stands.

Sela, a leading company in live events and experiences, is the promoter of this initiative as a sign of its commitment to the use of innovation to offer unforgettable moments to all fans. To ensure the legacy of this action, Sela has committed to providing this technology at all future Newcastle United home matches, and hopes his initiative will inspire football clubs in the Premier League, Europe and around the world. to continue focusing their efforts on improving accessibility.

For this match, Sela will also donate his sponsorship space on the front of the shirt to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), the British charity that supports the 12 million people who are deaf, have hearing loss or have tinnitus in the United Kingdom. This is a historic opportunity as it is the first time a hearing loss charity has been promoted on the front of a Premier League shirt. The launch of these next-generation haptic t-shirts also represents a historic opportunity.

The donation of the front of the shirt symbolizes the collective commitment of Sela, a leading live events and experiences company, Newcastle United and the RNID to improving accessibility for football fans through new technologies. Fans in the stadium and spectators at home will also see the RNID logo and branding on billboards around the pitch.

This action by Sela comes at a time when research carried out by the RNID reveals that 71% of deaf or hearing loss people surveyed by this organization believe that new technologies can be used to improve the match experience. , and make live sporting events more accessible. According to a study published last year, 93% of deaf people agree that there is nothing better than the excitement of watching a sporting event live in a stadium.