Newcastle Utd, Sela & RNID’s ‘Unsilence The Crowd’ redefines the Matchday experience for deaf fans

Objective

Together with the RNIDUK (a charity that supports the 12 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus), Newcastle and Sela set out to redefine the matchday experience for deaf fans and collaboratively ‘change the game forever’.

Activation

Led by a real-time event experience, the initiative was built around a pair of deaf fans, haptic shirt technology and a live match at which club sponsor Sela donated its front-of-shirt rights to the RNIDUK. This was supported before and after the game by a video-led, digital-first campaign across owned and earned platforms supported by a PR push.

Linked by the hashtags #UnsilenceTheCrowd and #SpectacularEveryday, the campaign kicked off on 11 April with a launch spot titled ‘Meet Ryan and David’ which introduced lifelong ‘Toon’ fans Ryan and David and set up a project aimed at helping them feel the passion of St James’ Park in a fresh way through cutting edge haptic shirt technology.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx-IWrOQFTE&t=8s

This was followed a day later on 12 April with a ‘Kieran and Dan Meet Their Mascots’ video which featured young deaf NUFC fans react to being invited by Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier to be #NUFC mascots for the 13 April Premier League home game against Tottenham Hotspur FC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BbAEJFB2d8

These assets led up to the introduction of the fan mascots wearing special haptic shirts (dubbed the Sela Sound Shirt) which helped transform the atmosphere of the 52,000-capacity St James’ Park into real-time touch sensations for the two deaf supporters enabling them to experience the atmosphere of a football match in a completely new way.

The game also saw Toon defender Dan Burn celebrate the club’s first goal of the game by signing ‘love the fans’ in British Sign Language: a phrase he was taught by Junior Deaf Football Club members during an impromptu kickabout in the days prior to the match.

 The initiative was subsequently amplified via a further PR push and additional digital content culiminated in a hero wrap film titled ‘Deaf Football Fans Feel Crowd Atmosphere For First Time’ deployed from 9 May during UK #DeafAwarenessWeek.

The hero film also reflects on Sela’s donation of its front-of-shirt sponsorship to the national charity, making it the first time a hearing loss charity has been promoted on the front of a Premier League shirt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDkI3PDaMwA

All the campaign content sought to steer people online to find out more about the full campaign here www.sela.sa/nufc.

“As a live experiences and events company, championing technology which provides spectacular experiences for all fans is a cornerstone to what we endeavour to achieve as Newcastle United’s principle partner. We’re therefore thrilled to have driven today’s initiative with the club and RNID to ensure the atmosphere of St. James’ Park can be truly felt by those who are deaf and have hearing loss. We hope today inspires clubs across the Premier League, Europe and beyond to adopt such technologies to deliver unforgettable experiences for fans in the Deaf community.” Sela Senior Vice President Ibrahim Mohtaseb

“One in five adults in the UK are deaf or have hearing loss, but people often face barriers in everyday life – including in live sports events. It’s fantastic to see Sela and Newcastle United leading the way in championing this technology which has the potential to have a real and lasting impact on how people who are deaf and have hearing loss experience live sports. We’re excited to be part of this collaboration and we hope this exposure opens up conversations amongst football fans about hearing loss and encourages other football clubs to raise their game and make sure deaf fans are fully included.” - RNID Director for Inclusion Teri Devine

“What a game, what a day, what a shirt. I felt part of the singing, part of the stadium. The vibrations just continued through the full game. We felt involved in all the goals and all the singing, so I just want to say thank you.” Newcastle United fan David Wilson

“That’s the best top ever. We felt the music, the singing, everything was included all in the top; it was brilliant. At 4-0, vibrations were amazing. I’m so happy, I would like to wear it every game.” Newcastle United fan Ryan Gregson

Outcome

This landmark activation was made all the more special due to Newcastle’s emphatic 4-0 victory. The initiative links to RNID research which revealed 71% of people surveyed believe new technology can be used to improve the matchday experience and make live sporting events more accessible. The initiative generated 10,000-plus social video views and plenty of earned coverage across the sports, marketing and mainstream media – including a major on-air piece on CNN.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cx3b0W_o30

To continue the campaign’s legacy, Sela has committed to providing the haptic shirt technology at all future Newcastle home games and aims to help football clubs across the Premier League, throughout Europe and beyond to build on efforts to improve accessibility. To bring this promise to life, Sela is taking the technology on tour over the coming months to showcase the innovation in markets across the globe.

“We would welcome the whole football family to join us by adopting the technology. By acting now, we can collectively make watching live football matches an incredible experience for everyone who loves the game.” Sela Senior Vice President Ibrahim Mohtaseb

The NUFC sponsorship in general (which began in June 2023) and this activation in particular is part of Sela’s strategy to establish a foothold as a leading global sports, culture, entertainment and hospitality experience provider. Sela has been steeped in sport since it was founded in 1997 as Saudi Arabia’s first FIFA-recognised player representation company. In 2009, the Jeddah-headquartered company led the commercial and operational arm of the Saudi Premier League and has since gone on to work with many of the world’s major sports properties, including Formula E, WWE and the SuperCoppa.

More recently the company has evolved into focusing on the conception, creation and delivery of experiences and destinations.  Indeed, amongst its more spectacular sporting events was an October 2023 drone display celebrated Newcastle United’s return to the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMIwQ5aUC6w

This case study originally appeared on Activative: which offers clients creative and strategic intelligence to fuel game-changing sports and sponsorship marketing. www.activative.co.uk