Quiet Rooms introduced at three FIFA Women’s World Cup venues

Three venues at the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand are to feature Quiet Rooms - designed to create a comfortable and calming environment for those with sensory processing difficulties.

Marking a first for the tournament, the rooms are being introduced at Auckland’s Eden Park (a first for any stadium in New Zealand), Sydney’s Accor Stadium and Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium - the latter two venues being known as Stadium Australia and Brisbane Stadium for the duration of the tournament.

The rooms have been designed to create a comfortable and calming environment to help individuals regulate their sensory input and reduce sensory overload. They will offer a range of sensory equipment and resources, such as weighted blankets, noise-cancelling headphones and calming lighting.

Accor Stadium’s Quiet Room will be coordinated by former footballer Kaine Sheppard, who organises the rooms through the KS Foundation Australia.

Available for game-day use, fans will be able to access the rooms at the three stadiums by finding a member of the volunteer team, with no special ticket or payments required.

Commenting on the initiative, FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer, Sarai Bareman stated “everyone deserves to enjoy the FIFA Women's World Cup, regardless of their sensory needs.

“That's why we're excited about the offering of dedicated Quiet Rooms at Stadium Australia, Brisbane Stadium, and Eden Park, supporting fans who require the space, and their families, at what will be an inclusive and uniting tournament.”

Eden Park Chief Executive, Nick Sautner added “we are thrilled that our new Quiet Room will be installed at Eden Park in time for the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. Having dedicated spaces and solutions, such as a Quiet Room that can help a person who finds crowds, noise and smell overwhelming, will enrich the Eden Park experience for everyone, and enable a group of people who may not have had the chance to attend live sport and entertainment events before.”

In addition to the Quiet Rooms, sensory bags will be available at all 10 Women’s World Cup stadiums in Australia and New Zealand. The bags will include noise-cancelling headphones, fidget devices and emotive cards to support communication about feelings. The bags will be available during the game then returned so they can be sanitised and reused at future matches.

FIFA is also offering training to staff and volunteers so they are able to provide the best possible experience for fans with sensory needs.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup commences with games at Eden Park and Stadium Australia tomorrow (20th July).

Images: The Quiet Room at Eden Park (top) and the FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy at Accor Stadium/Accor Stadium (below).