St Kilda FC & Marvel Stadium set the goal posts for inclusivity in the AFL

In an AFL first, St Kilda Football Club, in collaboration with Amaze, has introduced a quiet room for people with Autism. They designed the room to reduce sensory overload that can be experienced by people with Autism during a football game.

According to Fiona Sharkie, CEO of Amaze, “the normal behaviour of fans enjoying the football at stadiums can be too much for kids with autism.”

“Now, with the quiet room, they can come to games, deregulate in the quiet room, then return to the stadium or stay and watch the game in the room.”

Children and their parents can use the quiet and dimly lit room anytime. It also contains calming activities allowing them to continue to watch the game in a safe and specifically tailored environment. The chare also given headphones and football-shaped stress balls to use and decorate.

The AFL’s inclusion team hopes that, by 2022, all clubs will provide calming rooms and start to increase inclusivity in the AFL.

The room is available free of charge at all St Kilda Marvel Stadium home games.

You can read more about this inclusive AFL initiative here.

To find out more about Marvel Stadium’s Sensory Room and other Inclusion and Accessibility features click here.