Accessibility Guide - PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

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West Didsbury and Chorlton Football Club Accessibility Guide 

At West we are committed to making matchdays welcoming and accessible to as many supporters as possible. 

If you have any questions about accessibility or would like to discuss your requirements before visiting, please contact the club by emailing ollie@wdcfc.co.uk in advance and we will offer any assistance that we can. 

This guide has been published in September 2026 - please note that we are in the process of applying for permission to make a number of modifications that wil significantly improve the accessibility of our stadium. For more information, have a read of our plans HERE.

Getting to the stadium 

Whilst parking at our stadium is primarily limited to players and match officials, if you require a parking space for accessibility reasons then please do not hesitate to contact ollie@wdcfc.co.uk in advance and we will ensure that a parking space is reserved for you immediately next to our main entrance where there is a smooth pathway into the ground. Please note that this is not something that is restricted to blue-badge holders - it can be booked by anybody with an accessibility requirement and no proof of a disability is required. 

Similarly, if you would like to be dropped off at our main entrance, please let us know in advance and we will make arrangements for this. There is a narrow access road to our main entrance (addressed below) which is shared with supporters who will be walking to the ground, but if you let us know your requirements in advance then we will ensure that our stewards are on hand to help.

We ask anybody who books a parking space at the stadium to arrive an hour before kick off, although please let us know if this won't be possible and we will explore ways in which we can work around this. We do however require anybody who parks at the stadium to wait until 15 minutes after the final whistle to leave to ensure that those departing on foot can do so safely. 

For full details of how to reach our stadium via public transport, please see the collapsible content at the bottom of our matchday page. The closest public transport hub to our stadium is Chorlton Bus Station, which is nine-minute walk from our main entrance. If you are arriving by Metrolink and have mobility issues, we would recommend not using the Sale Water Park stop as it involved walking through the woods and across some uneven terrain. 

We do have two entrances to our stadium. The main entrance is at the bottom of a short slope (pictured below).

If you anticipate that this will be an issue, we would recommend either contacting the club in advance and we will brief our stewards on any support you may require, or alternatively travelling in from the Barlow Moor Road Metrolink stop and using our second entrance on the Hardy Farm side of the ground. 

[PICTURE OF HARDY FARM]

Entering the stadium

Once you have arrived at the stadium, both entrances are step free. The Hardy Farm entrance has a gentle slope from the entrance to the main body of the stadium, but the main entrance does not and has in fact had a new access road laid down in the summer of 2026. We do not currently have turnstiles and the entrance way has plenty of room to allow for mobility scooters / larger wheelchairs. The main entrance is pictured below.

If you are attending with a companion or carer, please let the volunteers on the gate know and that person will be able to join you at the game free of charge. No form of evidence is required for this.


Inside the Ground - Wheelchair Users / Supporters with Limited Mobility 

As you enter the stadium, there is a tarmacked access road along the side of the pitch as you head towards the clubhouse. 

The clubhouse itself has a wheelchair ramp which leads up to its front door - otherwise the entrance is up three steps. There is covered seating in front of the clubhouse, including a raised area which is reserved for wheelchair users, pictured below. That area has yellow markings in front of it as a means of preventing supporters from standing between that viewing platform and the pitch during the match. No booking is required for this or any other area of the ground, but if you contact us in advance then we will do what we can to reserve a particular space for you.

There is also a stand with 150 seats that is adjacent to the clubhouse. That is called the Rob Turley stand, pictured below.

The whole of our stadium is unsegregated and unreserved however, and supporters can move freely around the ground. One side of the stadium is primarily grass banking, but as can be seen from the image below, there is still a footpath around the perimeter and there is a large area at the bottom of the bank where there is an even grass surface. 


    Accessible Toilets 

    Our clubhouse has male, female and one disabled toilet, which is wheelchair accessible. These toilets are on the left hand side immediately as you enter the clubhouse. 

    [TBC - IS THERE GRAB RAILS / AN EMERGENCY ALARM / SUFFICIENT TURNING SPACE. IS THERE ROOM FOR A CARER]


    There is also a baby-changing table in the disabled toilet. 

    As stated in our ground development plans, we are in the process of seeking planning permission to improve our toilet facilities. 


    Assistance dogs

    Assistance dogs are welcome throughout the stadium, including the clubhouse and water can be provided for those dogs. There are lots of dogs at our home matches, but dogs must be kept on leads and supporters are advised that Saturday matches can be particularly busy. 

    Blind and Visually-Impaired Supporters 

    Whilst it is not a permanent feature, we do sometimes have live radio commentary at our home matches and this feature is advertised to supporters both in advance of the game and by our matchday announcer. 

    Sensory Accessibility / Neurodivergent Supporters

    Our stadium can be loud and busy on matchdays, particularly during our games on Saturdays where we regularly welcome crowds of over 1,000 people.

    For those who specifically want/need a quieter or more spacious area to watch the match from, we recommend watching the match away from the 'Shed' end of the ground, which is typically our busiest area and the part of the ground where most of the singing and chanting comes from.

    If supporters want a quieter area where they can take a break away from the stadium during matches, our stadium is connected to a large playing field (Hardy Farm). This tends to be largely unoccupied during our matches, as pictured below.

    If you would like to step out of our ground to access this area during matches, please inform the volunteer who is manning that entrance and they will ensure that you can return to the stadium when you feel ready to do so. 

    Alternatively, the clubhouse itself is generally fairly quiet during our matches as the majority of supporters will be out watching the match and they will purchase food/drinks from the vendors around the ground. This is not always the case during busy matches though, as queues on those occasions will build for the bar in the clubhouse. 

    Neurodivergent supporters are of course more than welcome to bring into the ground any sensory aids such as ear defenders, headphones or fidget items. 

    West generally do not play music over the PA system, and that PA system is primarily used sporadically to issue announcements during the course of a matchday. 

    There will not be any occasions where flashing lights are used, and the use of pyrotechnics is strictly prohibited at our stadium. 

    If you would like any information about how busy a match is likely to be in advance of it happening, please do get in contact with us in advance and we will give our best estimate of the likely crowd.

    If you would like to visit the ground on a non-matchday then please let us know and we will try to facilitate this with you. The ground is locked on non-matchdays but arrangements can be made to offer a tour from one of our committee members. Alternatively, our gates open an hour and a half before kick off and you are welcome to arrive at that point to view the stadium. If you are concerned that your own needs cannot be met and you decide to leave before kick off, we will issue you with a full refund. 

    Food and Drink 

    Our stadium has several food and drink facilities. Whilst the clubhouse sells a range of alcoholic drinks, soft drinks and confectionary, our hot food offering is located outside where you will find a number of different vendors, as shown below. These vendors are all step-free, and if you need any assistance carrying food or drinks then assistance can be provided by those in our stewarding team. Allergen information can be provided by each specific vendor, as they operate independently from the club.





      Staff and volunteers 

      Information to confirm: 

      • Whether matchday stewards and volunteers receive accessibility awareness training. 

      • Whether there is a named accessibility lead or member of staff. 

      • How supporters can identify staff who can provide assistance. 

      • Whether staff are trained to assist wheelchair users, people with visual impairments, people with hearing loss and people with hidden disabilities. 

      • Whether staff understand that not all disabilities are visible. 

      Hidden disabilities 

      Supporters with hidden disabilities are welcome to let the club know about any reasonable adjustments they may need. 

      Information to confirm: 

      • Whether the club participates in the Sunflower or another hidden-disability scheme. 

      • Whether sunflower lanyards or other identifiers are recognised by matchday staff. 

      • Whether supporters can request reasonable adjustments without providing medical evidence. 

      • Whether staff have guidance on supporting people with hidden disabilities. 

      If you have an accessibility requirement that is not covered by this guide, please contact the club before your visit. We will do our best to discuss your requirements and identify any reasonable adjustments that can make your visit easier. 

      Accessibility contact: 
      Email: ollie@wdcfc.co.uk