Everton Disabled Supporters Association (EDSA) member and sports journalist Amy Wilson explains how the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) changed the lives of football supporters across the UK and shaped her matchday experience – and how EDSA is working with the Club to look to the future.

Prior to the enactment of the DDA, disabled people in the UK had not legally been protected in relation to employment, access to education and transport, and in the provision of goods and services. The equal rights of disabled people prior to this point, were pretty much non-existent.

Football is my passion. I was born into a family of Evertonians and there was never any option that I wouldn’t have been a Blue. I went to my first Everton match in 1993 at the age of 11.

At that time, it wasn't easy to go to home matches on a regular basis because of a lack of wheelchair user spaces at the stadium. There were only around 15 spaces for wheelchair users, and they were to be shared by both home and away supporters. These spaces were in only one area of the ground with no access to the concourse.

There was no opportunity to purchase a season ticket, as none were available. Demand for match tickets always exceeded supply, so if you or a family member were not able to get to the ticket office quickly on the day of sale, you missed out. Very few away disabled fans attended Goodison Park back then, maybe because they were not able to sit with their own fans.

Following the ‘Taylor Report’ and the move to all-seater stadiums in the UK, an additional 49 wheelchair user spaces were installed in the then new Park End stand.

I was finally able to become a season ticket holder. I was so pleased to be following my dad and brothers in becoming season ticket holders and would be able to watch all home matches having only been able to attend eleven games in the previous two years.

With the new stand came access to the concourse. This made the experience of attending matches more enjoyable as I was able to meet up with family and friends before the game and at half time – something most fans take for granted. Away disabled supporters were also finally able to be sat with their own fans for the first time as away fans were relocated, helping to make their experience more equal and enjoyable.

However, things changed dramatically for disabled football fans in 2015 when Premier League clubs pledged to improve access and inclusion by making their stadia compliant with the Accessible Stadia Guide.

This had been something disabled fans had been campaigning on for several years. The pledge would mean more disabled fans could enjoy a fair and equal matchday experience alongside their fellow supporters. For disabled Everton fans this was a game-changer - the number of wheelchair user spaces doubled, elevated spaces were put in, and designated easy access seating was installed, and we now have some of the best wheelchair seating in the country.

For the first time, disabled supporters had the option of where they would like to sit at Goodison. After 24 years of going to matches at the Old Lady, I was finally able to sit in the iconic Gwladys Street, where both of my brothers were located. My first game there was an opening day fixture against Stoke City. It was one of the best experiences I have had in all my years of going to Goodison Park.

The Premier League pledge has also made going to away matches more inclusive and enjoyable. Newer grounds such as the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Swansea’s Liberty Stadium have made the matchday experience as a disabled fan a genuinely inclusive experience - from having excellent sightlines of the pitch in the away end and easy access to the concourse to meet up with my friends, to being able to make purchases of food and drink independently.

It is not just at newer stadiums where the experience as a disabled fan has improved. Older, more traditional stadiums have also made changes, meaning more disabled people can attend matches and facilities such as accessible toilets have improved. For example, I am now able to sit with my fellow Blues at Anfield for future Merseyside derbies which is massively important to me.

It is vital that when clubs are planning to make improvements and changes to existing facilities, undergoing a redevelopment of their ground or moving to a new stadium that they consult with their disabled fans and have continued dialogue throughout the entire process.

Disabled supporters welcome sharing their lived experiences of attending games to help ensure the facilities and services at their own club can be improved to be the best they can be and help to give more disabled fans an opportunity to experience going to matches.

Disabled Supporters Associations are one way in which clubs can regularly liaise with their disabled fans on accessibility topics.

EDSA, Everton’s Disabled Supporters’ Association, were previously engaged in the changes made at Goodison Park and more recently have been involved in the Club’s consultation process for a new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock. EDSA have consulted and been able to offer advice to the planning team based on supporters’ experiences, which the Club have taken on board.

It’s brilliant to see our Club’s commitment to ensuring accessibility is at the forefront of plans for Bramley-Moore Dock and great that they have spoken with and will continue to speak with EDSA to help make our new ground is one of the most inclusive and welcoming stadiums for disabled fans in the country.

There is still much work to be done in making matchdays accessible and inclusive for all disabled fans, but without the DDA and subsequent equalities laws, I don't believe we would be at the stage of the journey we are at.

The legislation has been such a breakthrough in changing the public perception of disabled people from being pitied, charity cases, to being people first and foremost, who become disabled by the environment or society around them.

As for me, my career in sports journalism may not have happened due a lack of accessibility at my chosen universities back in 2000, but I now combine my love of football with another major passion in life.

By working for the Centre for Access to Football in Europe (CAFE), I can help to improve access and inclusion for disabled people.

I hope that the work we do with fans, clubs and national associations will help disabled people across Europe experience some of the best moments of their lives that only being at a live match can give you.

To find out more about CAFE and our works, please visit www.cafefootball.eu