Fan funds audio equipment for blind and partially-sighted supporters
Exeter City were delighted to receive a donation from supporter Dave Proud in order to give the Soccer Sight matchday service a much-needed upgrade.Soccer Sight, a free service which provides audio commentary for blind and partially-sighted supporters within St James Park on matchdays, has been running at St James Park since 2008.
During that time, however, the transmitters and receivers have inevitably been subjected to wear and tear from use. The time came to replace the kit to ensure that users continue to enjoy the service.
After Exeter City put a call out for sponsorship for the service, Dave Proud (pictured second from left) kindly got in touch to donate money to cover the cost of the new equipment. It got its first airing as the Grecians defeat AFC Wimbledon 2-1 at St James Park on 4th March.
Dave was invited as a guest of the club to attend the home fixture against Newport County AFC on Easter Monday, where he was able to see lead Soccer Sight commentator Tom Fowles (pictured centre) in action with his new transmitter.
Dave Proud said: “After losing my mum to cancer in June 2013, I was looking to use some inheritance in a charitable way and a friend told me that Soccer Sight needed help. Being a way of bringing the joy of football to the blind and partially sighted is a wonderful thing, I was only too pleased to help.
“It was lovely to meet Tom and the team on Monday, and it was topped off with 2-0 win over Newport. May Tom’s commentary – and Exeter City – go from strength to strength.”
We are hugely grateful to Dave for his generosity. For more information on Soccer Sight, click here – or watch the video below. Headsets are readily available at Reception at St James Park for supporters to collect ahead of kick-off.