Featured image credit: Newcastle United
Newcastle United has announced that haptic shirt technology, which enhances the matchday experience for fans with hearing loss, will be available at St. James’ Park throughout the 2024-25 season.
The Premier League club teamed up with main shirt sponsor Sela and the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) back in April to launch what was claimed to be a world first initiative.
As part of its ‘Unsilence the Crowd’ campaign, Sela, a Saudi-owned sports event and experiences company, donated player shirt and pitch-side branding to the RNID for the match against Tottenham Hotspur. Deaf supporters were able to wear a unique shirt that transformed the noise of the stadium into a real-time touch sensation.
The technology will now become a permanent part of Newcastle’s accessibility offering, with new ‘Sela Sound Shirts’ to be made available to season ticket holders and members with hearing impairments.
The shirts use conductive textiles and haptic modules that are integrated into the fabric. Microphones capture sound around the pitch, which is converted using specialised software. The software then transforms crowd noise into touch data, which is wirelessly transmitted to shirts via an antenna, allowing fans to experience the live stadium atmosphere.
Season ticket holders and members with a registered hearing impairment can apply to access the shirts, with applications to be processed via a ballot system ahead of home league fixtures this season.
If successful, fans will receive their Sela Sound Shirt at a designated pre-match meeting point in the stadium, where they will be greeted by a club representative. Fans will return the shirt at the end of the match.
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