Disability Sport NI’s Access Guides

Athletics Northern Ireland is committed to promoting inclusive participation across all levels of the sport and to making athletics welcoming to everyone. We encourage clubs, coaches, and facility managers to design and manage environments that are accessible to all. To support this, we share resources from Disability Sport NI that provide practical, easy-to-follow guidance for clubs, event organisers, and local authorities on creating and maintaining accessible athletics venues across Northern Ireland.

Why accessibility matters

Accessible facilities benefit everyone - participants, officials, volunteers, and supporters. By following best practice you can:

• Increase participation and membership

• Improve safety and user experience for all visitors

• Meet equality and disability legislation expectations

• Strengthen applications for funding and community support

The following resources, produced by Disability Sport NI, provide comprehensive guidance on the design and management of accessible and inclusive sports facilities and clubs across Northern Ireland. They include information for indoor and outdoor venues, stadia, and club-level improvements, along with an action plan template to help clubs audit and prioritise accessibility changes.

Full DSNI Access Guide web page: Disability Sport NI |Access Guides - Disability Sport NI

Downloadable Guides (linked to DSNI PDFs):

• Guide 1: Accessible Sports Facilities Design Guidelines 

• Guide 2: Accessible Sports Facilities Management Guidelines 

• Guide 3: Accessible Sports Stadia Design Guidelines 

• Guide 4: Accessible Sports Stadia Management Guidelines 

• Guide 5: Accessible Outdoor Places Design Guidelines 

• Guide 6: Accessible Sports Clubs Design Guidelines

• Accessible Sports Clubs Design Guidelines: Action Plan Template 

• Guidance Notes: Sports Pavilions 

 

Putting these guides into practice:

Use the Action Plan Template to run a simple accessibility audit at your club or venue. Focus first on quick wins such as signage, parking access, ramp routes, clear pathways, and accessible toilet or changing access, and then plan medium and long-term upgrades.

Quick audit: Complete the Action Plan to identify urgent issues and low-cost improvements.
Prioritise: Group actions into immediate, short term, and long term.
Engage: Ask members, especially disabled athletes or carers, for feedback on proposed changes.
Record: Keep a simple log of actions and costs to support funding bids.

Support and next steps

If you would like support implementing any of these recommendations, Athletics NI can help by connecting clubs with Disability Sport NI for technical advice, venue audits, or training. For assistance, contact heather.ardis@athleticsni.org or tom.reynolds@athleticsni.org