How Harlequins Have Made Rugby Accessible for All

Harlequins is continuing to break down barriers in sport through its annual Access Day at The Stoop – a matchday dedicated to ensuring rugby is accessible, welcoming and enjoyable for disabled supporters. First launched in 2023, the initiative was created to offer a dedicated Harlequins matchday to welcome disabled people and their communities to attend a live sporting event, delivering a range of important initiatives to improve accessibility and to educate all visitors to The Stoop. It has quickly become one of the most meaningful fixtures in the club’s calendar.

Recently hosted during a Premiership Women’s Rugby home match, Access Day combined elite sport with enhanced accessibility provisions. Through a combination of calming sensory spaces and audio descriptive commentary, a mobile accessible toilet delivered by Mobiloo, and British Sign Language interpretation throughout the game, more people were able to experience the excitement of live sport.

This focus on inclusion mirrors the wider movement across rugby. Throughout this weekend 27–29 March, Round 12 of the Gallagher PREM and Round 16 of the PWR will see PREM Rugby, Premiership Women’s Rugby and their clubs unite for the first time to celebrate inclusivity across the game. Using the platform of elite competition, outdated stereotypes will be challenged and one clear message will be made: everyone is welcome, and anyone can play.

Themed ‘This Is Belonging’, the weekend will use every game, every stand and every platform to showcase that rugby is a place for all – no matter who you are or your background. Across clubs, pitches and communities, both leagues will spotlight the welcoming environment and the powerful role rugby plays in bringing people together.

This is Belonging is about pride and progress – ensuring existing fans and players feel proud to be part of the rugby family, while opening the door wider to welcome new audiences who want to see themselves represented in the game.

Across the country, PREM and PWR clubs and their foundations are deeply embedded in their communities, delivering programmes that strengthen social connection, increase participation across all ages and abilities, and support physical and mental wellbeing long after the final whistle.

The Harlequins Access Day is a leading example of how sport can be truly inclusive – a stepping stone for disabled supporters to experience live sport in a welcoming and supported environment. Now in its fourth season, it has become a highly regarded matchday, with this year seeing upwards of 1,700 people in the stands.

This year’s event saw Harlequins Women take on Exeter Chiefs in an inspiring PWR clash. The club also collaborated with Mencap Kingston – a branch of the UK charity that supports people with learning disabilities in Kingston upon Thames. Learners from Mencap Kingston undertook volunteering opportunities on the day, including roles such as selling the Harlequins Season 3 Trading Cards and greeting members of the public as they arrived. The Chobham Chargers – a mixed ability team – also provided the Guard of Honour at kick-off and played touch on the pitch at half time.

One Access Day attendee commented: “We brought along our autistic son for his first match and hugely appreciated the support on offer. We spent the first half in the stand and when our son began to get a bit overwhelmed by the noise, we moved to the quiet room for the second half which allowed him to calm down, reboot and then continue to enjoy the rest of the match from inside the room. Without this, we would have probably had to leave at half time.”

Harlequins CEO, Laurie Dalrymple said: “Access Day is about making live sport accessible and enjoyable for all, while simultaneously educating and raising awareness across our community. The feedback has been fantastic, and each year we build on these initiatives to improve accessibility not just for Access Day, but across the entire season.”

Ultimately, the club’s ambition is to embed these initiatives across many more fixtures, enhancing accessibility across the season at The Stoop. The Club continue to undertake work to refine and introduce new initiatives, in consultation with our supporters, to tackle barriers that the disabled community face and to make every visitor feel welcome so that they can fully enjoy the Harlequins experience.

As rugby unites under the ‘This Is Belonging’ banner, initiatives like the Harlequins Access Day show what inclusion looks like in practice: creating safe, supportive spaces, connecting communities, and demonstrating that rugby is more than a game – it is a family, and a place where everyone belongs.