Absolutely Thrilling Match Coming Up! Don't Miss Your Chance To Cheer On Sunday!
#TotalAccess Week of Action in Paradise Celtic’s 3-1 win over Motherwell on Saturday was an even more exciting occasion for a group of youngsters who were very special mascots on the day. The 14th annual #TotalAccess Week of Action was marked as the club highlighted the experiences of supporters with disabilities and showed its continued commitment to tackling the physical or sensory barriers which may prevent fans from fully enjoying the matchday experience. As part of the pre-match activity, pupils from St Roch’s Secondary School Hearing Impairment Unit in Glasgow signed the Celtic starting XI and substitutes on the big screen and both sets of players were accompanied on to the pitch by mascots, including children with a range of additional needs.
These include mobility challenges, sensory impairments such as visual and hearing loss, as well as neurodiverse young people, including those with autism. Celtic’s Disability Access Officer, Alexis Dobbin, said: “The #TotalAccess Week of Action is an important opportunity to highlight the experiences of disabled supporters and to celebrate the progress football continues to make in becoming a more inclusive game. “At Celtic, we are committed to ensuring that every supporter feels welcome and able to enjoy the matchday experience.
“It is fantastic to have the pupils from St Roch’s Secondary School involved in signing the team line-up, as well as welcoming our mascots who represent such a wide range of abilities. “Moments like these help demonstrate that football truly is a game for everyone, and we are proud to support the #TotalAccess campaign once again. ” Included in the lucky youngsters leading the team out was Zac Clark, and he paired up with Benjamin Nygren as the Celts made their way on to the hallowed turf.
Zac’s Dad, Pat told Celtic TV: “It’s wonderful. I need to take my hat off to Alexis and her staff, if it wasn’t for them, it would be impossible. ‘For myself, personally, seeing Zac be a mascot today is unbelievable.
’ “Growing up, you always have this thing where you don’t know how Zac is going to get on in life but actually seeing him at a football match and doing normal things is unbelievable. “It’s great for everybody involved. He’ll go home and he’ll probably not sleep tonight - he’ll just talk about how Nygren took him out.