Access Compass guide
Autistic and sensory rooms at UK sports venues
Understand sensory viewing rooms, the Shippey Campaign’s pioneering work, where to check for current provision, and what to confirm before booking a match or event.
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Who it's for: everyone, Families, Parents & carers, Children & young people, Adults, Professionals
✓ Verified Last checked 19 Jul 2026. Review due 18 Aug 2026. Always confirm details with the service before relying on them.
The road travelled
Where we came from
Nathan Shippey wanted to attend football but found the stadium noise and atmosphere overwhelming. His parents, Peter and Kate Shippey, worked with Sunderland AFC on a practical answer: a calmer room from which supporters could still experience the live match.
Where we are now
The first Nathan Shippey Sensory Room opened at Sunderland in 2015. The Shippey Campaign then advised clubs and worked with football and disability partners to spread the model. Sensory viewing rooms, inclusion rooms, quiet spaces and sensory packs are now part of access provision at a growing number of venues, but there is no complete national register.
Where we are heading
Progress now means moving beyond one-off rooms: co-designing the whole journey, publishing clear booking routes, training staff, offering alternatives when rooms are full and keeping access information current. Users still need a reliable way to discover and compare provision across venues.
People and campaigns that moved this forward
- Peter and Kate Shippey and the Shippey Campaign — Created the sensory-viewing-room concept from their family’s experience and supported its rollout to other sports venues.
- Nathan Shippey — His experience and determination to attend football gave the first room its purpose and name.
- Sunderland AFC — Worked with the family to open the first live-football sensory viewing room in 2015 and later added a second room.
- Level Playing Field — Amplified the campaign and continues to promote access and inclusion for disabled sports supporters.
- Premier League, BT and Lord’s Taverners — Created a funding partnership that helped clubs develop sensory facilities.
Visual explanations
These diagrams use real text, so the same complete information can be zoomed, selected, read aloud and printed.
Comparison guide · full text built in
Sensory room or quiet space: what to check
A comparison of preparation, the physical room, staffing and booking, how the person can leave or return, and alternatives if the room is unavailable. The headings and lists that follow are the complete text equivalent of this visual.
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Before visiting
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Ask for current details
Check location, route, size, lighting, noise, capacity, opening, booking, time limits, eligibility and whether a companion can stay.
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Inside the space
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Expect choice, not forced stimulation
Useful spaces may offer adjustable light, reduced sound, seating, sensory equipment and a clear exit. The person should control what they use.
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People and process
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Confirm support and re-entry
Ask whether staff are present, how distress is handled, whether the room can be left at any time and how the person returns to the event or visit.
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If it does not work
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Agree an alternative
Identify another quiet area, outdoor space, early entry, later arrival, ear defenders or a leave-and-return plan.
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Printable and zoomable: this is structured text, not an image.
Step by step
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Understand the purpose of a sensory room
A sensory viewing room, inclusion room or quiet space can give autistic and other neurodivergent supporters a calmer place to watch or take a break from noise, crowds and movement. Rooms differ: some overlook the event, some are retreat spaces, and some venues offer sensory packs or quiet routes instead.
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Recognise the Shippey Campaign’s impact
Peter and Kate Shippey developed the sensory-viewing-room idea after their autistic son Nathan found the noise and atmosphere of a football match overwhelming. Working with Sunderland AFC, they helped open the Nathan Shippey Sensory Room in 2015. Level Playing Field and official football sources describe it as the first room of its kind for watching live football and credit the campaign with helping other clubs develop similar spaces.
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Understand how the idea spread
The Shippey Campaign advised clubs including Notts County, Watford, Airdrieonians, Middlesbrough, Rangers, Arsenal, Liverpool, West Bromwich Albion and Southampton during the early rollout. A Premier League and BT programme, working with the Shippey Campaign and Lord’s Taverners, offered clubs funding for sensory facilities. These are historical rollout examples, not a guarantee that every named room still operates in the same way today.
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Check the venue’s current accessibility page
No complete, authoritative national register of sports sensory rooms was found. Start with the venue or club’s current accessibility and ticketing pages, then use Level Playing Field as an independent specialist source. Search for ‘sensory room’, ‘sensory viewing room’, ‘quiet room’, ‘inclusion room’ and ‘sensory pack’ because venues use different names.
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Use verified examples to understand the options
Sunderland currently publishes match-by-match booking information for two sensory rooms. Wembley publishes event-specific applications for two sensory and inclusion rooms and explains capacity and ballots. Arsenal’s opening is documented by Level Playing Field and the Premier League as part of the Shippey-supported rollout. Always follow the current venue page for availability rather than relying on the historical announcement.
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Confirm the practical details before buying tickets
Ask who can use the room, how to apply, whether a match ticket is also required, capacity, companion or personal-assistant arrangements, proof requirements, wheelchair access, the view of the event, toilet access, arrival route, re-entry rules and what happens if demand exceeds places. Booking and evidence rules vary by venue and event.
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Ask about alternatives if the room is unavailable
A venue may offer a quieter arrival time, familiarisation visit, visual story, sensory pack, ear defenders, an aisle or exit-near seat, a quiet area or permission to take a break and return. These adjustments are not automatic, so agree them with the venue’s accessibility or ticketing team before attending.
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Keep sensory rooms and Changing Places separate
A sensory room helps with the sensory environment; a Changing Places toilet provides specialist personal-care space and equipment. Some venues provide both, but one does not replace the other. Check each requirement separately when planning a visit.
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What good future provision should include
Good provision is co-designed with disabled people, explains access and booking clearly, manages capacity without making the room too busy, trains staff, provides a safe route and offers alternatives such as sensory packs. The NSPCC’s sports guidance also recommends planning how people find and access the space and considering demand at large events.