On Friday June 20th and Saturday June 21st I had the opportunity to attend two exciting sporting events in Dublin. While in attendance at these events, I noticed both positives and negatives regarding accessibility. 

I attended a rugby match at Aviva Stadium on Friday evening. I did not observe much in terms of accessibility, so I decided to research the accommodations they have in place. While they do advertise having accessible entrances and seating in the stadium I noticed that it would be a very challenging arena to navigate for someone with a physical or motor disability. In order to enter the stadium, we had to walk through a narrow metal revolving gate. Once we entered the stadium we immediately had to climb several flights of stairs. In the stadium there were no accessible seating options in the section we were seated. We were sitting far from the field in the cheaper seats. The lack of accessible seating here makes it difficult for someone needing to get tickets at a lower price. 

On Saturday I was able to attend a Gaelic Football game at Croke Park. Upon entering the stadium, we were again welcomed in by a narrow metal revolving gate. We walked in and were directed to a staircase we had to climb in order to enter the stadium. While finding our seats, I noticed there seemed to be a lack of accessible seating options in the stadium. 

While both sporting events were thrilling and allowed me to experience Irish sports culture, I was surprised by the lack of accessibility in the stadiums. From what I observed, both venues could prove to be challenging for some with physical or motor disabilities to navigate.