RECITE ME SECTORS

Accessibility and Inclusion in Sport

Sport and fitness businesses bring people together and are well known for promoting equality, social inclusion, and a sense of community. Whether it’s hitting the gym or attending a football match, sport unites people across geographical boundaries, cultures, generations, and abilities. So, why should it be any different in the online world?

Tackling Inaccessibility in Sports Head-On

The vast majority of fitness centres and sporting venues have already made great strides in accommodating those with physical disabilities at their premises. However, the digital world still presents hurdles for many.

People look to the internet for many services, including finding a gym, accessing fixture results, and buying tickets for sporting events. Inaccessible websites can be a significant roadblock to these activities. Website visitors will click away from information they cannot navigate or understand, meaning they’ll never buy those tickets or join that gym. Providing online support removes barriers and enables everyone to get involved.

Why you Should Provide Online Support in the Sport and Fitness Sector

Overcome Language Barriers

Providing translated content on your website enables you to connect with international fans, local fans who don’t speak English as a first language and can help attract international sponsors and partnerships.

Increase Your Revenue

Every day, thousands of people go online to buy memberships, book classes, and purchase event tickets. If your website's information or application forms are inaccessible, they’ll simply buy from one of your competitors instead.

Sports is for Everyone

Don't let digital barriers prevent enthusiasts from engaging with your sports or fitness platform. By ensuring your website is inclusive to all, you open the door to a broader audience eager to participate in the sports community.

Webinar - Register Today!

Join us, on the 9th of May at 2 pm, for an insightful webinar where we will delve into how you can engage with disabled, international and elderly visitors via your website to ensure no one is excluded from your online communications.

We will be showcasing the work of some of our amazing clients across the sporting sector and the actions they are taking to ensure equal online access..

Register your place today! Even if you can’t attend the live session, registering ensures you will be sent the webinar recording.

Thousands of sports webpages made accessible through the use of assistive technology

Organisations need to remember that it’s not just physical disabilities that need to be accommodated. Websites need to be accessible so that people with hidden disabilities can have equal access.

The Recite Me assistive toolbar supports website visitors by allowing them to make single or multiple adjustments to a web page, so they can view it in a way that works best for them.

UNIQUE USERS

795,426

This is the total number of users who launched the Recite Me toolbar on sport websites.

PAGES VIEWED

5,490,891

This is the total number of pages viewed using the Recite Me toolbar.

INDUSTRY AVERAGE

+146%

Higher than the industry average pages viewed per session.

Download our Online Accessibility Guide for Sporting Organisations

Read more on why website accessibility is important to sports businesses, who needs support online, the type of access barriers users face, our top tips for an inclusive sporting website.

Customers

See the love!

“We’ve worked really hard to make our venue as welcoming as possible to all – and that work will continue – but we know that many supporters’ first interactions with us will come via our website. The impression people get when they access our homepage is, in reality, as vital as the warm reception they receive in person from our stewards and staff. From international visitors to those with difficulties with their sight, reading or comprehension, this toolbar will help an increasingly diverse audience to feel that cricket is a sport for them. This is not the end of our efforts to improve accessibility – that will be an ongoing, indefinite commitment – but it is a significant step forward in ensuring our online presence is welcoming to those of differing audiences and backgrounds.”

Matthew Freeman

Digital Marketing Manager, Trent Bridge

“We’ve worked really hard to make our venue as welcoming as possible to all – and that work will continue – but we know that many supporters’ first interactions with us will come via our website. The impression people get when they access our homepage is, in reality, as vital as the warm reception they receive in person from our stewards and staff. From international visitors to those with difficulties with their sight, reading or comprehension, this toolbar will help an increasingly diverse audience to feel that cricket is a sport for them. This is not the end of our efforts to improve accessibility – that will be an ongoing, indefinite commitment – but it is a significant step forward in ensuring our online presence is welcoming to those of differing audiences and backgrounds.”

Matthew Freeman

Digital Marketing Manager, Trent Bridge

“Recite Me is an incredible piece of software that will transform how many of our followers interact with the club. Our thanks go to everyone at Recite Me for their support and expertise in this field. It will greatly help our supporters to connect with the club in a way that best suits their individual needs.”

Rob Lynch

Chief Operating Officer, Middlesex Cricket

“Recite Me is an incredible piece of software that will transform how many of our followers interact with the club. Our thanks go to everyone at Recite Me for their support and expertise in this field. It will greatly help our supporters to connect with the club in a way that best suits their individual needs.”

Rob Lynch

Chief Operating Officer, Middlesex Cricket

“We’re delighted to launch the Recite Me toolbar as part of the new-look website. We’ve focussed on improving our provision for supporters with hidden disabilities across this season and giving our supporters control of how the website looks will enable all supporters to easily access the information they want.”

Dave Messenger

Supporter Liaison & Disability Access Officer, Watford Football Club

“We’re delighted to launch the Recite Me toolbar as part of the new-look website. We’ve focussed on improving our provision for supporters with hidden disabilities across this season and giving our supporters control of how the website looks will enable all supporters to easily access the information they want.”

Dave Messenger

Supporter Liaison & Disability Access Officer, Watford Football Club

“Investing in Recite Me has brought the accessibility of our sport for people to the next level. We want to make the experience for the reader from anywhere in the world on the website the best possible and giving our supporters control of how the website looks to them will enable all supporters to easily access the information they want.”

Paul Carr

Sports Inclusion Disability Officer, Basketball Ireland

“Investing in Recite Me has brought the accessibility of our sport for people to the next level. We want to make the experience for the reader from anywhere in the world on the website the best possible and giving our supporters control of how the website looks to them will enable all supporters to easily access the information they want.”

Paul Carr

Sports Inclusion Disability Officer, Basketball Ireland

“Our name is something we truly believe in. When we say, ‘Everyone Active’, we really do mean everyone. Fitness and activity should be open to all and we are dedicated to removing barriers and making it more accessible wherever we can – whether that’s in our centres or on our website. Working with Recite Me to make our website even more accessible was a win-win decision for everyone.”

Erin Flower

Group Marketing Manager, Everyone Active

“Our name is something we truly believe in. When we say, ‘Everyone Active’, we really do mean everyone. Fitness and activity should be open to all and we are dedicated to removing barriers and making it more accessible wherever we can – whether that’s in our centres or on our website. Working with Recite Me to make our website even more accessible was a win-win decision for everyone.”

Erin Flower

Group Marketing Manager, Everyone Active

"We are delighted to have launched Recite Me on our club website. Our collective aim at Newcastle United is to create a culture as varied as that of the great city we are honoured to represent. This toolbar is a tremendous step forward in ensuring that people can access news and information about our club more easily which will undoubtedly increase our reach and engagement. "

Lucy Oliver

Head of Inclusion, Newcastle United Football Club

"We are delighted to have launched Recite Me on our club website. Our collective aim at Newcastle United is to create a culture as varied as that of the great city we are honoured to represent. This toolbar is a tremendous step forward in ensuring that people can access news and information about our club more easily which will undoubtedly increase our reach and engagement. "

Lucy Oliver

Head of Inclusion, Newcastle United Football Club

“Recite Me is a pioneering software tool that will significantly improve the accessibility of our website. “The vital equality information and resources we produce will now be more widely available for people across the UK and the world. “Disability inclusion is a central part of our work and we are excited to be working more closely with the team at Recite Me going forward as we aim to break down the barriers for disabled people in football. “We hope that football clubs and organisations see the benefit of the tool for their customers and supporters and look to address accessibility improvements on their websites too.”

Keeley Baptista

Head of Partnerships, Kick It Out

“Recite Me is a pioneering software tool that will significantly improve the accessibility of our website. “The vital equality information and resources we produce will now be more widely available for people across the UK and the world. “Disability inclusion is a central part of our work and we are excited to be working more closely with the team at Recite Me going forward as we aim to break down the barriers for disabled people in football. “We hope that football clubs and organisations see the benefit of the tool for their customers and supporters and look to address accessibility improvements on their websites too.”

Keeley Baptista

Head of Partnerships, Kick It Out