Real Betis, first Spanish Club to have a Sensory Room for People with Autism in their Stadium
Last Sunday Real Betis Balompié revealed their sensory room for people with autism in the Estadio Benito Villamarín. Real Betis – Las Palmas was decicated to raise awareness around disability. In addition to the premiere of this room, 60 people experienced the anthem in sign language on the pitch, the players took the field accompanied by children with functional diversity and Real Betis Genuine were presented to the fans.
David, Thiago and Marco are three children who attended a match for the first time last Sunday, where they watched Real Betis at the Benito Villamarín Stadium and who were able to enjoy 100% of the football spectacle. The three little ones have autism and thanks to the sensory room that the green and white temple opened against UD Las Palmas -the Disability match-, they were finally able to live a football match and improve their experience in this kind of spectacles.
La sala sensorial del Estadio Benito Villamarín ya está lista para recibir a los tres pequeños que la inaugurarán hoy 🔛💚
— Real Betis Balompié 🌴💚 (@RealBetis) November 26, 2023
¡Encantados de ser el primer club en contar con este servicio para las personas con discapacidades como el autismo! 😊 pic.twitter.com/JNlGx9lBFB
The lights, the voices of the 50,000 fans or the sounds prevent in many cases people suffering from autism, cognitive disability or behavioural disorder from being able to experience a match. The noise from outside can be threatening, irritating or exhausting for them. These rooms provide an atmosphere from which fans can watch the match live without the inconvenience of over-stimulation from the stands. Sensory rooms allow the stimuli to which a person is exposed to be controlled.
The sensory room at the Benito Villamarín Stadium is the first among Spanish clubs and is equipped with interactive materials and activities, as well as adjustable lighting. This space is specially designed so that people feel safe and relaxed and have the option of watching the match behind the glass. Real Betis will implement this initiative thanks to the collaboration of the Centro de Estimulación Precoz Cristo del Buen Fin.
This is just one of the actions took place in the Disability Match, an action organised by the Foundation, a match that aimed to promote inclusion and accessibility to football stadiums. Another of the most special moments was the moment of the anthem, when more than 60 people from the Asociación Cultural Integración Sordo-Oyente (ACISO) together with a representative of ONCE expereinced the Real Betis anthem in sign language on the pitch of the Estadio Benito Villamarín. Since last season, both the lyrics of the anthem and the anthem in sign language can be seen on the video scoreboards.
Real Betis Balompié and its Foundation have been holding this match for the last seven seasons around the International Day of Disability, which is commemorated on 3 December. Last season, the green and white club organised “The most inclusive match in the world”, a match in which it managed to beat the world record of fans with functional diversity in the stands during an official match, reaching 1,740!
Real Betis disability and accessibility department
Real Betis is working to improve the experience of its fans on match days. In this way, the club has a specific group of volunteers who are in charge of carrying out the service ‘We accompany you to your seat’ which consists of helping people with disabilities or mobility difficulties to access their seats. Also, Real Betis has made available to its fans on match days sensory packages for people with autism, becoming the first team in LaLiga to implement this initiative.
