AMT Headingley hosts Level Playing Field North Forum

Leeds Rhinos became the first club across West Yorkshire and Rugby League to host a Level Playing Field North Forum. 

The event at AMT Headingley brought together disabled sports fans with club representatives and other key stakeholders, for a day focused on access and inclusion. Attendees from across the region’s sporting landscape had the opportunity to network, while sharing experiences and best practice. 

Sessions included a look ahead to the implications of an updated Accessible Stadia and conversations around matchday transport. 

Leeds Rhinos Accessibility Liaison Officer, Ashley Marshall, delivered a presentation on the club’s accessible provisions, before Chief Executive Jamie Jones-Buchanan joined as guest speaker. The club legend then took attendees on a tour of the stadium. 

Level Playing Field chief executive, Owain Davies, said: “It was a pleasure to bring so many people together at AMT Headingley, united in a vision of inclusion for disabled fans. 

“The feedback we have received has been very positive and I am confident that conversations and learning from the day will lead to practical changes at matchdays across many clubs and venues. 

“Our thanks go to Leeds Rhinos, for being fantastic hosts. In particular, I am grateful to Ashley Marshall and Jamie Jones-Buchanan, for the valuable contributions they made to such a successful event. 

“Crucially, the team at Level Playing Field take so much from these forums, with the insights shared from attendees increasing our understanding of experiences in each region.” 

Leeds Rhinos’ Accessibility Liaison officer, Ashley Marshall, added: "It was an absolutely fantastic day. To be the first rugby league club in the north to host the Level Playing Field forum was a true honour and to be able to hear everybody's points of view and have different clubs from different sports here was fantastic. 

"Each club has its own barriers it's got to face when it comes to accessibility, and knocking those barriers down is really important. I've got first-hand experience of making sure clubs do accessibility right. Seeing the heartbreak when accessibility is an afterthought - there's no place for that in sport. With what we’ve done at the Rhinos in the off-season by launching Rhinos Access - the first for a rugby league club to have a dedicated scheme - this forum was important to be able to show all the clubs what we've done and try and hopefully set a precedent for other clubs to follow suit. 

"A massive thanks to Level Playing Field too. They could have gone anywhere, but they wanted to come here to AMT Headingley. We've been able to promote what we're doing as a stadium and as a club, so it's been a positive day." 

Visit the Leeds Rhinos website, for more information on accessibility at the club. 

The Level Playing Field Midlands Forum will take place next week, at the home of Notts County. Get in touch with the charity for more information.